France deploys military cargo aircraft as wildfires displace 300,000
Converted A400M drops fire retardant as evacuation figures rise and military mobilisation intensifies across the country.
French fire crews deployed a converted A400M military cargo aircraft in southwest France on Sunday to combat unchecked wildfires that have overwhelmed emergency services. The aircraft swooped low over arid woodlands, dropping a long plume of ochre-coloured fire retardant in an effort to contain the unpredictable blazes.
The deployment comes as the scale of the disaster continues to escalate, with reports indicating that more than 300,000 people have been forced to flee their homes. This figure represents a significant increase from earlier assessments, which cited approximately 200,000 evacuations, highlighting the rapid and volatile nature of the crisis.
The French government has declared a historic fire record for the region, with nearly 98,000 hectares of land burned. The crisis is being exacerbated by a severe heatwave, which has contributed to the rapid expansion of the fires and created challenging conditions for containment efforts.
In response to the unfolding emergency, President Emmanuel Macron has mobilised the military, while Prime Minister Sebastian Lecornu has chaired government crisis meetings to coordinate the national response. The use of the military cargo plane underscores the severity of the situation and the need for specialised aerial firefighting capabilities.
Concurrent emergencies are also being managed in neighbouring Spain, where a national emergency has been declared. Over 19,000 residents have been evacuated from areas west of Madrid as two major wildfires merged into a single blaze, reflecting the broader impact of extreme weather conditions across Europe.
Reporting on the techniques being used by French firefighters was provided by FRANCE 24’s Charlotte Hughes, who detailed the operational aspects of the military aircraft’s intervention in the southwest region.
