Heatwave-driven fire near Bordeaux raged through 42k ha of forest

French firefighters kept a major blaze west of Bordeaux that had prompted mass evacuations under control overnight.

The wildfire in the Landes area west of Bordeaux, a popular tourist destination, has devastated 42,000 hectares of mainly pine tree forests, after a severe dry spell caused by a series of heatwaves.

After battling the fire for a week, fire crews with the support of European peers have managed to contain the blaze.

However, another heatwave, the fourth so far this summer, is set to make conditions more volatile in the coming hours.

Temperatures in the area are expected to peak at 42 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, while dry winds from the southwest in the morning and from the west in the afternoon are likely to stoke flames.

Authorities have evacuated about 220,000 people, including holidaymakers and local residents.