Higher humidity, cooler temperatures, and a forecast for rain are raising hopes for relief in southwestern France, where wildfires have consumed an area four times the size of Paris in recent weeks. National weather service Meteo France is forecasting light rain in Lege-Cap Ferret, a town on a peninsula that has been at the forefront of the devastated region.
Local officials reported a relatively calm night, with the fire not exceeding the 42,000 hectares (approximately 162 square miles) already affected. A force of 2,200 firefighters and over 20 aircraft remains on "total mobilization."
While rain fell early Thursday in Bordeaux, to the east, there were no immediate signs of sufficient rainfall in the most affected areas to extinguish the flames or dampen the sandy ground and dense pine forests that have fed the inferno. Sophie Brocas, the prefect for the Gironde region, expressed cautious optimism that lower temperatures could be beneficial. "If that's confirmed, we could foresee a return to a more normal life for residents, but also for businesses that need to work," she told reporters.
Humidity reached 80% overnight but was expected to decrease by midday, according to authorities. Gironde officials noted in a morning update that some rainfall was anticipated along the coast and "could reach the fire zone."
Temperatures, which had peaked around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) the previous day, were forecast to drop to a high of 27 C (80 F) along the coast on Thursday. An "orange" heat wave alert, the second-highest level, was lifted shortly before dawn.
The fires in the Bordeaux region, known for its wine production, forests, and tourism, are among several blazes that have swept across parts of southern Europe recently, including Spain and Greece. On Wednesday, authorities reported the deaths of three firefighters on the Greek island of Crete, highlighting the widespread wildfire emergency from the Atlantic coast to the eastern Mediterranean. At the height of the evacuations, 330,000 people were forced to flee their homes and vacation sites in France and Spain.