(Bloomberg) -- Wildfires flared up again in southwestern France as the country endures a third heat wave and the worst drought on record.
Some 6,000 hectares of forest burned over the past day in the Gironde, a coastal region around Bordeaux, and about 5,800 people are being evacuated from their homes, according to local authorities.
“The fire is very aggressive,” the Gironde prefecture said in a statement, adding that the blaze was spreading to the neighboring Landes area. Sixteen houses were destroyed.
Speed restrictions were imposed on the nearby A63 highway as the fire approached, with authorities ready to close a section of the road that links Bordeaux with Spain.
Further north, above the Loire River, a wildfire has burned through more than 1,200 hectares in the Pugle forest, according to the local prefecture. Firefighters were also battling a blaze in the Aveyron region of southern France.
The latest heat wave is less intense than those in June and July, but longer-lasting, according to weather service Meteo France. Temperatures are seen climbing as high as 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in parts of the southwest on Wednesday, and are expected to drop again from Sunday.
Read more: Temperatures Rise in Europe as Another Heat Wave Blankets Region
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