Gironde wildfires, 2026 (France)
A fraction of the aftermath from this year’s wildfires in south-west France: 47,000 hectares of forest burned, 240 homes destroyed and the lives of four firefighters lost.
The Landes forest is the largest man-made woodland in Europe, covering more than 10,000 km². It was established under Emperor Napoleon III in 1857, transforming what was then a vast, mosquito-infested wetland plagued by malaria into a productive and habitable region.
Today, around 90% of the forest is privately owned and is largely made up of maritime pine trees cultivated for the timber industry. Although the species is well suited to the region — growing quickly and drawing up large quantities of water from what was once swampland — it is also highly flammable.
The fires have brought a range of issues into focus: climate change, the vulnerabilities of monocultures, cuts to government spending and the wider economics of the region.
