Up to 90,000 people have been affected by wildfire evacuations in southwest France, Bordeaux mayor said while visiting an evacuation centre on Saturday (July 25).

Bordeaux mayor, Thomas Cazenave, said that people from many different nationalities were involved in the evacuation from various municipalities within the metropolitan area of Bordeaux, such as Saumos, Sainte-Hélène, and Le Temple-sur-Lot.

He said the evacuation centre is currently hosting "between 5,000 and 6,000 people," and that it can adapt to host up to 10,000 people, according to the development of the situation.

Cazenave said the evacuation is continuing, "particularly for the most vulnerable people," adding that also some school groups staying in holiday camps were evacuated.

Both France and Spain sought help from the European Union as the blazes strained firefighting and other emergency services.

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BORDEAUX, FRANCE (JULY 25, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. PEOPLE IN EVACUATION CENTRE

2. (SOUNDBITE) (French) BORDEAUX MAYOR, THOMAS CAZENAVE, SAYING:

"We have established here the conditions to accommodate everyone who is in a situation where they have had to leave their homes. We activated this system more than two days ago, initially for tourists who were in Lège-Cap-Ferret, and we have since used the same system for all residents of the metropolitan area affected by the evacuation. As you know, this ultimately concerns a very large number of people, probably around 90,000. Today, this system is hosting between 5,000 and 6,000 people, all with very different situations that we have to manage. As you have probably seen, there are able-bodied individuals and families, but also people who require medical care."

3. CAZENAVE SPEAKING

4. (SOUNDBITE) (French) BORDEAUX MAYOR, THOMAS CAZENAVE, SAYING:

"We have also changed the organization. You may have noticed that the Palais de l’Atlantique has been opened on the other side, where food services are available, while here we have a site where we can support people—especially the most vulnerable—receive ambulances, and manage arrivals and departures.This is how things evolved overnight, because when I left the site at around 6 a.m., this organization was not yet in place. It is now a fully operational structure that allows us to provide the best possible support thanks to the exceptional mobilization of metropolitan staff."

5. CAZENAVE SPEAKING WITH PEOPLE IN EVACUATION CENTRE

6. (SOUNDBITE) (French) BORDEAUX MAYOR, THOMAS CAZENAVE, SAYING:

"We have had to evacuate school groups—young people staying at holiday camps—as well as the most vulnerable individuals, including residents of nursing homes. So the evacuation is continuing, particularly for the most vulnerable people."

7. EVACUATION CENTRE

8. (SOUNDBITE) (French) BORDEAUX MAYOR, THOMAS CAZENAVE, SAYING:

"There were many different nationalities involved. There are still many people here now coming from municipalities within the metropolitan area, but also from Saumos, Sainte-Hélène, and Le Temple-sur-Lot. We mainly dealt with tourists during the first phase. These were people who arrived and then often returned home. Now, we are receiving people who are waiting—waiting to find out whether they can return to their homes, when they will be able to return, or staying here while they look for a more comfortable solution with friends or family until they are able to go back. At this point in time, that date is still unknown."

9. CAZENAVE IN EVACUATION CENTRE

10. EVACUATION CENTRE