French PM orders deployment of A400M military transport plane to help battle fires

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has ordered the armed forces to deploy an A400M military transport aircraft as early as Saturday to help combat fires raging in the southwest, his office said. Issued on: 25/07/2026 - 10:54 2 min Reading time The aircraft is to be equipped with a dispensing kit that can release 20 tonnes of fire retardant, equivalent to the capacity of two Dash firefighting aircraft. Its deployment had previously been scheduled for the end of the month due to preparations and testing. Meanwhile, French authorities ordered the evacuation of towns near the southwestern city of Bordeaux "as a precaution", as wildfires moved towards the area. The traffic information website Bison Fute urged drivers to avoid roads in the Gironde department, where Bordeaux is located, to free up access for emergency services. Massive fires ravage near a residential area in Lège-Cap-Ferret in the south of France, 23 July 2026. © JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP Around 500 additional soldiers are being sent to "support the firefighters" battling blazes in southwest France, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said after a crisis meeting with his key ministers. Earlier on, France's interior ministry said that more than 140,000 people have been evacuated from areas threatened by wildfires in France's southwest. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told the TF1 broadcaster that authorities would "do everything to protect" Bordeaux, the nearest city to the fire. EU emergency mechanism French president Emmanuel Macron announced overnight that France had requested the activation of an EU emergency mechanism as fire and medical services came under growing pressure. Macron calls for EU reinforcements as France battles spreading wildfires “The situation remains extremely tense as fires ravage the country, particularly in Gironde,” the president wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “France has requested the activation of the European Union’s civil protection mechanism. We will soon be able to count on reinforcements from two Croatian Canadair aircraft, two Portuguese Air Tractor aircraft, as well as two heavy Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.” Macron praised the “concrete, swift and operational solidarity” shown by France’s European partners and urged the public to remain alert. “I call on our fellow citizens to exercise the utmost vigilance. Every action counts in protecting our lives, our homes, our forests and our landscapes,” he said. (with newswires)