Bordeaux: French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced on Saturday that the largest forest fire in France since 1949 was under control, more than a week after it broke out in a pine forest near Bordeaux in the southwest of the country. Nunez said, "The fire is under control and is no longer spreading," explaining that it was still burning in some areas.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, France has been battling forest fires for weeks following a series of heat waves that have dried up rivers and vegetation. These extreme weather phenomena are attributed by scientists to climate change caused by human activity. In the Gironde region near Bordeaux, a massive fire swept through 42,000 hectares of pine forest along the Atlantic coast, destroying approximately 240 homes.

Gironde prefect Sophie Broca mentioned that the region was "recovering" after more than a week of using firefighting aircraft to support firefighters and volunteers working tirelessly to extinguish the blaze. She added that most of the 220,000 people evacuated had returned home. However, Nunez noted that some would have to wait until the fire was completely extinguished in areas where it was still burning.

In Var, in southeastern France, firefighters managed overnight to contain a massive fire that broke out on Friday. Strong winds fanned the flames, causing them to spread rapidly. However, prefect Simon Baber did not report any new developments Saturday morning.

According to satellite data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), the total area of land burned in France this year has reached 92,000 hectares to date, the highest figure the country has seen in the last 20 years.