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Before-and-after satellite images show the staggering toll of France's worst wildfire season on record

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Satellite images reveal the devastating scale of France's worst wildfire season, with over 116,000 hectares burned and 250,000 evacuated.

Before-and-after satellite images show the staggering toll of France's worst wildfire season on record

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The Big Picture
France is experiencing its worst wildfire season on record, with 116,085 hectares burned as of July 2026, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. Record heat waves and drought have fueled fast-moving fires in southwestern regions like Gironde and Landes, forcing 250,000 evacuations. Satellite photos show thick smoke plumes and charred landscapes, while ground images capture destroyed homes and emergency shelters. France deployed 250,000 firefighters and aircraft including Canadair water bombers and A400M planes. Scientists link the severity to climate change, which intensifies droughts and creates ideal wildfire conditions. The fires have also impacted cities like Bordeaux, where smoke cast a yellow haze over the city.
Why It Matters
This wildfire season, exacerbated by record heat waves and drought linked to climate change, has burned over 116,000 hectares and displaced 250,000 people in France alone. The satellite imagery underscores how extreme weather events are intensifying, forcing governments to mobilize massive resources—including military aircraft—and convert public spaces into emergency shelters. It highlights the growing need for climate adaptation strategies and resilient infrastructure as such disasters become more frequent and severe.

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Before-and-after satellite photos show wildfires in France/
Before-and-after satellite photos show wildfires in France/
Before-and-after satellite photos show wildfires in Ponteves, France.

2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS

  • Wildfires began ravaging southwestern France in mid-July following record heat waves.
  • Satellite images show heavy smoke, and aerial photos show damage to cities and forests.
  • France deployed 250,000 firefighters and aircraft, including water bombers and A400Ms.

Weeks of record-breaking heat and fast-moving wildfires have scorched large swaths of France.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said in a statement on Friday that 116,085 hectares of land had burned in wildfires across France this year, amounting to the country's worst wildfire season on record.

Around 250,000 people have been evacuated in the affected areas of the Gironde and Landes regions of southwest France since the wildfires began in mid-July, France's Interior Ministry said.

Record-breaking heat waves across Europe and prolonged drought conditions have contributed to the severity of the damage.

Photos show plumes of smoke visible from space, burned remains of neighborhoods, and France's continued firefighting efforts.

A satellite photo of Pontevès, France, taken on July 19, before the wildfires broke out, showed the valleys, vineyards, and landscapes that have made it a tourist destination.
Satellite imagery shows an area before it was affected by wildfire, in Ponteves, France July 19, 2026.
Satellite imagery shows an area before it was affected by wildfire, in Ponteves, France July 19, 2026.
Satellite imagery shows an area before it was affected by wildfire, in Ponteves, France July 19, 2026.

2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS

This satellite photo from July 21 showed thick smoke clouds from active wildfires engulfing the region.
Satellite imagery shows smoke rising from a wildfire in an area in Ponteves, France July 21, 2026.
Satellite imagery shows smoke rising from a wildfire in an area in Ponteves, France July 21, 2026.
Satellite imagery shows smoke rising from a wildfire in an area in Ponteves, France July 21, 2026.

2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS

On the ground, firefighters in Pontevès deployed hose teams to put out remaining flames and prevent reignition in the blackened forests.
Firefighters coordinate wildfire suppression operations while extinguishing remaining hotspots near Domaine de la Marseillaise in Ponteves, Var, France.
Firefighters coordinate wildfire suppression operations while extinguishing remaining hotspots near Domaine de la Marseillaise in Ponteves, Var, France.
Firefighters coordinate wildfire suppression operations while extinguishing remaining hotspots near Domaine de la Marseillaise in Ponteves, Var, France, July 23, 2026. Crews assess the fire perimeter and direct hose teams to prevent reignition in drought affected woodland.

Thibaut Durand/Hans Lucas via Reuters Connect

Before the wildfires, a satellite image taken near Le Porge in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France, on July 21 showed parts of the coastal village and surrounding pine forests.
Satellite imagery shows an area before it was affected by wildfire, near Le Porge, in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France July 21, 2026.
Satellite imagery shows an area before it was affected by wildfire, near Le Porge, in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France July 21, 2026.
Satellite imagery shows an area before it was affected by wildfire, near Le Porge, in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France July 21, 2026.

2026 PLANET LABS PBC/via REUTERS

Just two days later, satellite imagery showed wildfires producing plumes of smoke.
Satellite imagery shows burned areas and smoke rising from a wildfire, near Le Porge, in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.
Satellite imagery shows burned areas and smoke rising from a wildfire, near Le Porge, in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.
Satellite imagery shows burned areas and smoke rising from a wildfire, near Le Porge, in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France July 23, 2026.

2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS

Le Porge was devastated by the wildfires, its streets strewn with the charred remnants of homes and vehicles.
A burned building in France.
A burned building in France.
A drone view shows a burnt building in an area affected by wildfire, in Le Porge, Gironde, amongst worsening drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of France, July 26, 2026.

Manon Cruz/REUTERS

Smoke from nearby wildfires cast a yellow haze over the French city of Bordeaux, known for its Gothic architecture and red wine.
Bordeaux, France, covered in wildfire smoke.
Bordeaux, France, covered in wildfire smoke.
This photograph shows smoke from nearby wildfires covering the skyline of the city of Bordeaux on July 26, 2026. France fought an "unpredictable" wildfire close to Bordeaux on July 26, 2026 while Spain warned of "difficult hours" in its own fiery battle, with evacuations from danger zones in both countries mounting to well over 300,000 people. Scientists have long warned that climate change caused by human use of fossil fuels will make periods of drought more intense and longer-lasting, creating the ideal conditions for wildfires.

Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images

The Bordeaux Exhibition Center was converted into an emergency shelter for evacuees, offering food, medical care, and psychological services.
An emergency shelter for wildfire victims in France.
An emergency shelter for wildfire victims in France.
Thousands of people evacuated from their homes rest at the Bordeaux Exhibition Centre, which has been converted into a temporary emergency shelter following a major wildfire affecting the Gironde department in southwestern France on Saturday. French authorities have transformed the exhibition halls into an emergency reception facility to accommodate families displaced from several municipalities, providing medical assistance, food and psychological support, while firefighters continue efforts to contain the fire, which has forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people. In Bordeaux, France, on July 26, 2026.

Albert Llop/NurPhoto via Reuters Connect

Smoke-filled skies glowed orange over Arès in the Gironde department in southwestern France.
Smoke rises as flames burn during a wildfire at Ares, Gironde.
Smoke rises as flames burn during a wildfire at Ares, Gironde.
Smoke rises as flames burn during a wildfire at Ares, Gironde, amongst worsening drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of France, July 25, 2026.

Stephane Mahe/REUTERS

Over 250,000 firefighters continue to work across France to contain and extinguish the flames, the French Interior Ministry said.
A firefighter battles a forest fire in France.
A firefighter battles a forest fire in France.
TOPSHOT - A firefighter stands before flames as a forest fire rages in Saint-Jean-d'Illac, some 30km from Bordeaux, on July 26, 2026 as a wildfire has been ravaging the forest north of the Arcachon Basin (Gironde). The 220,000 people evacuated due to the massive wildfire in France's Gironde region will not be able to return home "until the fire has been brought under control", the local prefect said, also ruling out any normal workday on Monday in the affected towns, ahead of a possible worsening of the situation on Tuesday due to an expected rise in temperatures.

ROMAIN PERROCHEAU/AFP via Getty Images

The French government also deployed aircraft, including Canadair water bombers, Dash 8 aerial firefighters, and French Air Force A400M military transport planes, to aid firefighters on the ground.
A Canadair water bomber.
A Canadair water bomber.
A Canadair water bomber drops water on an advancing wildfire as a firefighting helicopter flies above thick smoke near Cotignac, Var, France, July 23, 2026. The aerial operation supports firefighters on the ground as flames continue to spread through the forest under extreme fire conditions.

Thibaut Durand/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

Read the original article on Business Insider
Climate Change France Satellite Imagery Wildfires Disaster Response

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Before-and-after satellite images show the staggering toll of France's worst wildfire season on record | TechCulture