France wildfires: Man arrested after 44 fine wine bottles ‘stolen’ from home | World | News

A man has been arrested after 44 bottles of wine were allegedly stolen from a home, as devastating wildfires forced residents to evacuate parts of southwest France. The suspect was detained in Eysines on July 25, on suspicion of stealing the bottles of wine from a private property. Officers spotted a vehicle parked outside the home and allegedly found the wine inside after carrying out a search. The man was taken into police custody.

The arrest comes as the wildfires continue to burn, with around 42,000 hectares of land scorched and thousands of residents forced to flee their homes. More than 200,000 people have been evacuated from the wider Gironde region. Bordeaux Airport’s hotel zone has also been evacuated until further notice, although flights are continuing to operate.

French authorities have mobilised around 1,200 internal security officers to help prevent looting and secure evacuated areas while emergency crews tackle the fires. The force added that officers remain deployed to protect evacuated homes across the Gironde department.

A French government spokesperson told Franceinfo that a full evacuation of Bordeaux is “not on the agenda” at this stage. She said the blaze was “very difficult to anticipate” and that authorities remained “extremely cautious” as they monitored what she described as an “extraordinary fire”.

More than 250,000 people have been evacuated across France, while a further 116,000 have also been forced to flee their homes in Spain.

Jerome Steffe, the mayor of Cestas, southwest of Bordeaux, where thousands of residents have been evacuated, described the Gironde wildfire as “of a size never seen before”. He warned: “It’s a race against time before the heatwave returns.”

Lieutenant Colonel David Annotel, spokesperson for France’s National Firefighters Federation, said crews were facing a “prolonged” battle and compared the blaze to the Landiras wildfire in 2022.

He told Franceinfo: “We’re looking at a similar situation. For many weeks and months, crews from all over France will have to continue rotating in.”

He added: “We need to make the most of the next two or three days, while temperatures remain relatively normal, to slow the fire’s spread and reach a point where it is no longer feeding so heavily on vegetation or on the increasing heat. Higher temperatures will make conditions much tougher. Days will be harder, and nights will also become more difficult.”