Macron convenes emergency meeting as France battles worst wildfire since World War II

French President Emmanuel Macron has called an emergency meeting for Monday (July 27) as a massive wildfire continues to spread across southwestern France, with authorities racing to contain what is being described as the country's worst wildfire since World War II.

Officials said the meeting will focus on the evolving crisis, ongoing firefighting operations and additional measures to curb the blaze.

Meanwhile, Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave warned that a fresh heatwave is severely hampering firefighting efforts.

The wildfire is now just 15 kilometres from Bordeaux, although authorities have not yet ordered the evacuation of the city's 850,000 residents, saying the situation is being closely monitored.

France's meteorological agency has forecast temperatures of up to 40°C in parts of the country from Tuesday, raising concerns that extreme heat and dry conditions could further accelerate the fire's spread.

Wildfires have ravaged several parts of Europe over the past week, particularly France and Spain, forcing the evacuation of nearly 330,000 people across the two countries.

France has suffered the heaviest damage, with around 42,000 hectares of forest and surrounding land destroyed in the southwest alone. Since the beginning of the year, wildfires have scorched nearly 98,000 hectares nationwide, while more than 220,000 people have been evacuated from the affected region.

Macron pledged full government support for those impacted, assuring that emergency response, relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts would continue for as long as necessary.