Overview
- A fast‑moving brush fire broke out near Avenue Roland Garros beside Bordeaux–Mérignac around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday and spread to nearby buildings, producing heavy smoke that forced a ground stop and local road closures.
- Two firefighters died while fighting the blaze after being trapped on a tanker truck by a very violent flare‑up, officials including Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez and SDIS director Marc Vermeulen confirmed.
- About 100 firefighters and aerial resources pushed to contain the blaze, which burned roughly one hectare near the airport before operations were progressively resumed and passengers were advised to check flight status.
- President Emmanuel Macron and national ministers paid tribute to the fallen crews and officials have opened formal inquiries into how the incident unfolded and whether conditions or tactics contributed to the deaths.
- The fire is part of a record‑breaking 2026 French fire season driven by extreme heat and drought, with Meteo‑France placing many departments on high risk alerts and emergency services stretched by multiple large blazes.