Wildfires force mass evacuations in France as flames produce their own weather

More than 200,000 people have been forced to evacuate as wildfires continue to burn across southwestern France.

The largest fire, burning in the Bordeaux region, has scorched over 160 square miles of forests and scrubland and damaged or destroyed more than 240 homes since it began July 22. The blaze is larger than the city of Atlanta.

The fire has also produced France’s first ever fire cloud — a rare phenomenon where a fire creates its own weather, generating violent, erratic winds and lightning that can spark new fires.

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One of the main evacuation centers in Bordeaux is receiving thousands of displaced residents. On Tuesday alone, 4,000 people — including French and foreign tourists on holiday — were forced to evacuate.

Officials say most of the fires are currently under control but not fully extinguished. Fourteen new fires sparked on Tuesday, and unfavorable weather conditions are forecast for the coming days, with high temperatures and dry air creating unstable conditions.

Some 3,000 firefighters are currently deployed throughout the region working to prevent the fires from spreading. They are operating under triple-digit temperatures, making conditions even more challenging.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Spain, officials began lifting evacuation orders for some of the nearly 80,000 people who had to flee wildfires there. At least 13 people in the country have died this year from wildfires, making it one of the deadliest fire seasons in decades.