Emmanuel Macron holds crisis cabinet meeting as wildfires and fire-generated thunderstorms threaten the south-western city of Bordeaux.
French President Emmanuel Macron will hold a crisis cabinet meeting on Monday to address expanding wildfires in the south-western city of Bordeaux. The blaze, located approximately 15km from the city, is being complicated by a looming heatwave and an unprecedented 'pyrocumulonimbus' cloud—a fire-generated thunderstorm that creates its own winds and lightning. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the situation as 'very unfavourable' as the fire moves erratically toward the city. While there are no immediate plans to evacuate the 850,000 residents of Bordeaux, tens of thousands have already been moved from the surrounding region. The fire has scorched approximately 42,000 hectares in the south-west, marking one of the largest forest fires since World War Two. The administration announced that France will 'rebuild' and remain committed to the long-term recovery. Meanwhile, experts note that the climate crisis is making such intense fire clouds more common globally, with a new heatwave expected to hit France starting Tuesday.