• France's largest wildfire near Bordeaux is now under control, but active hotspots still require attention.
• More than 10,000 additional residents are able to return home as the wildfire, which has burned about 42,000 hectares, is no longer spreading.
• Wildfires have scorched around 119,000 hectares across France this year, with attention now focused on a blaze in the Var region that continues to cause concern.

France's largest wildfire of the season, near the Atlantic coast city of Bordeaux, is under control and no longer spreading, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on Saturday, while warning that active hotspots remained.

Although the situation has eased, there were still "active zones" and hotspots that continued to require attention, Nuñez said.

The improvement will allow more than 10,000 additional residents to return home, authorities said.

The wildfire west of Bordeaux has burned about 42,000 hectares, making it the largest blaze of the season in France. Around 224,000 people were evacuated, although authorities said nearly 198,000 had already been allowed to return.

Since the start of the year, wildfires have scorched around 119,000 hectares across France, Nuñez said.

Attention is now focused on southern France, where a wildfire that flared up again in the Var region continues to cause concern.

The blaze spread across more than 1,000 hectares within a matter of hours on Friday.

Nuñez said the situation had not worsened by Saturday afternoon but described the area as being at high risk because dry conditions and strong winds were forecast later in the day.

According to the local prefecture, around 1,500 firefighters were battling the blaze, supported by six water-bombing aircraft and five helicopters.