• French firefighters battle major wildfires along the Atlantic coast and in the south of the country, with thousands evacuated and European partners sending support.
• Tens of thousands of people evacuated as wildfires rage near Bordeaux, destroying homes and prompting emergency response efforts from local farmers, oyster fishermen, and the fire service.
• Wildfires also reported in other areas of France, including near Marseille and south of Paris, with hundreds of residents evacuated and firefighting aircraft deployed to combat the blazes.

French firefighters continued to battle several major wildfires along the Atlantic coast and in the south of the country on Friday, as authorities evacuated thousands more people to safety.

President Emmanuel Macron said European partners were sending aircraft and helicopters to support the effort against the blazes sweeping through areas popular with tourists.

"The situation remains under very high tension in the face of the fires ravaging the country, particularly in Gironde," Macron posted on X in the early morning, referring to the crisis in the region near Bordeaux.

He said France had requested the activation of the European Union's civil protection mechanism and would receive support from Croatia, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz offered France his support. The forest fires in France were having devastating consequences, and he had expressed his sympathy to President Emmanuel Macron, Merz wrote in a French-language post on the X platform.

"We are ready to help France under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Our thoughts are with those affected and the emergency services," Merz added.

Tens of thousands evacuated

A total of 63,000 people were evacuated in several affected areas, officials said.

The most serious blaze was raging near the popular tourist destination of Bordeaux.

The prefecture has reported that 44,000 people have now been evacuated from the region near Bordeaux, which is also popular with holidaymakers from around Europe.

The fire has spread across 12,500 hectares and destroyed 53 houses and a campsite. The fire service is on the ground with 1,000 personnel, nine firefighting aircraft and two firefighting helicopters. So far, 42 firefighters have been injured.

Bordeaux prepares to accommodate evacuees

According to the city of Bordeaux, preparations are under way to accommodate further evacuees in the city's exhibition halls, which can house up to 10,000 people.

From the morning onwards, holidaymakers and residents of Cap Ferret were also evacuated by boat and taken to Arcachon. From there, the rail network deployed additional trains to Bordeaux for onward transport.

To assist with the evacuations, the region's oyster fishermen also offered their boats. At the request of the fire service, local farmers supported the firefighting efforts by providing 40 tankers.

Another 20,000 people are being forced to leave 10 towns located on the Arcachon basin, said French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. Ships were being used to evacuate Cap Ferret.

Due to another fire on the Atlantic coast south of Bordeaux, near the town of Biscarrosse, 23,000 more people had now been evacuated, the minister added. Here, too, campsites and holiday accommodations were primarily threatened by the fires, which now covered 2,500 hectares.

That outbreak was thought to have occurred after a delivery van caught fire due to a technical defect while driving on a forest road.

So far, no civilians had been injured, but one firefighter was injured, officials said. Earlier in the week, two firefighters were killed while battling a blaze near Bordeaux's airport.

Fires rage in other areas

In southern France, a wildfire near Pontevès, north-east of Marseille, also flared up again. About 500 residents were evacuated as a precaution, while around 800 firefighters backed by more than 100 soldiers fought the blaze.

For the first time ever, firefighting aircraft recently also took on water from the Seine south of Paris to tackle a major fire in the Forest of Fontainebleau.

France's Defence Ministry said it was preparing an Airbus A400M military transport aircraft for firefighting operations, with the plane able to drop 20 metric tons of water and expected to be ready within 10 days.

Temperatures of up to 39 degrees Celsius were expected again in the region on Friday.