Fires in France's Gironde department are no longer spreading and have been brought under control, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced Saturday. About 220,000 people had been evacuated and 42,000 hectares burned during the crisis.
Xavier Daney, mayor of the evacuated town of Ares, said vigilance remained essential despite the stabilised situation. He said he had completely banned entry into the forest across all wooded areas of the territory, asking both residents and returning tourists to avoid any contact with the forest and to refrain from lighting fires or barbecues.
Daney added that patches of green remained within the burned forest and that it would be harmful to lose the last water sources available to wildlife.
The mayor also said he feared the return of visitors could become disaster tourism, though he hoped for broader French solidarity to support local commerce in the affected region.
Residents in several other communes, including Saumos, Le Temple and Marcheprime, were also officially allowed to return home. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced on August 1 that he intended to compensate victims quickly and appoint a national coordinator to oversee reconstruction.
