10:17 a.m. – Mobilization for animals
Among the victims of fires, animals are on the front line. Trapped by the flames or fleeing in panic, several of them ended up injured. The police are trying to come to their aid, alongside their mobilization for the victims, like this dog rescued after being found in distress in the Arcachon basin.
#Fires 🔥 The #gendarmes save a dog in distress in the Arcachon basin 🐕
🚨 Following the fires in #Gironde, boaters spot a dog in distress. The maritime gendarmes intervened quickly and brought the animal to safety. 🛥️
👏 Congratulations to our comrades… pic.twitter.com/SWp1kh2Vub
— Gendarmerie nationale (@Gendarmerie) July 28, 2026
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For wild animals, a petition has also been launched to ban hunting in all forest areas affected by fires, such as in Fontainebleau, Aude, Var and Ardèche. The initiative, which has already collected more than 248,000 signatures, also calls for a moratorium of at least three years to give flora and fauna time to regenerate.
9:04 a.m. – Several people arrested
Since the start of the fires ravaging Gironde, fifteen people have been arrested, reported the prefect of the department. According to the police, some of them were for offenses related to the forest fires, in particular for thefts from evacuated homes. An individual also posed as a volunteer psychologist with the aim of offering paid sessions to people in distress.
As for the fire in the Var department, which covered around 4,500 hectares in eight days, a man suspected of around ten fires in this area was incarcerated, the authorities announced.
8:43 a.m. – Thousands returned to their homes near Madrid
Several thousand people have returned to their homes, after being evacuated for several days due to the fires, announced the prefect of the Madrid region, at a time when the authorities are still working to contain the fire, the worst in history in this area.
Concretely, “24,000 evacuees were able to return to their homes and 20,000 others came out of confinement in the Madrid region,” Francisco Martín Aguirre said overnight on X.
8:15 a.m. – “Adverse” weather conditions
The weather conditions are “unfavourable”, with rising temperatures, recalls the Gironde prefecture. The department is also placed on orange heat wave vigilance.
For this Wednesday, July 29: 🟠16 departments on orange heat wave alert https://t.co/h3so1yk2rI pic.twitter.com/70hNIO4Fxc
— VigiMétéoFrance (@VigiMeteoFrance) July 29, 2026
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Forecasts predict temperatures could reach up to 41 degrees inland and 38 on the coast. They are accompanied by “dry” winds with gusts which can reach 45 km/h at the end of the day.
8:05 a.m. – INTERVIEW. Local solidarity: “life has the same value everywhere”
Guillaume Le Blanc, philosopher specializing in solidarity issues, looks back at the roots of mutual aid in the face of fires and the perspectives it offers for the future.
8:00 a.m. – Second “quiet” night in Gironde
The megafire which has burned 42,000 hectares in Gironde since July 22 is “still stabilized” after a second “calm” night, we learned from the department prefecture.
⚠️ Fire in progress in #Gironde | Update on Wednesday July 29 at 6:00 a.m.:
▫️ The night was calm, the fire is still stabilized this morning with several fire outbreaks dealt with quickly last night (notably at Camp de Souge / Arès / Le Temple);
▫️ The surface… pic.twitter.com/02dAVmJu61
— Prefect of New Aquitaine and Gironde (@PrefAquitaine33) July 29, 2026
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Several outbreaks of fire were “treated quickly last night”, notably at Arès around the Arcachon basin, further north at the Temple or around the Souge camp, a military base less than 15 km from Bordeaux-Mérignac airport, according to this same source. “The burned surface has not changed,” specifies the prefecture.
The night’s news
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The major fire in the Var department which covered around 4,500 hectares in the Gros Bessillon massif, threatening several villages since it started eight days ago, has been declared fixed, the prefecture announced on Tuesday.
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The French energy group Engie will pay 25 million euros to participate in “the reconstruction and sustainable regeneration of destroyed forests”, he announced, highlighting the “human, environmental and economic shock” of the fires, particularly in Gironde and Fontainebleau.
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