France’s raging wildfires are the country’s biggest challenge since the World War Two, President Emmanuel Macron has warned.
The French president urgently said the coming weeks will be some of the toughest his nation has seen for over 80 years – with a 40C heatwave expected to help fuel the flames from Tuesday.
Macron told emergency workers during a crisis meeting on the wildfires: “We have a situation that is more difficult than at any time since the Second World War.
“We must be realistic: the coming weeks will be tough, and we must persevere. The key is urgency, resilience.”
He made the comments in Gironde, the south-western area worst affected by the fire, on Monday evening.
Currently, 2,500 firefighters, 1,500 military personnel and around 1,200 police officers have been deployed to the region.
