Andorra's Red Cross Deploys Six Convoys to Aid French Wildfire Evacuees

Andorra's Red Cross has deployed six convoys with rescuers and logistics staff to support wildfire evacuees in France's Gironde region, where one of the country's most destructive blazes since World War II continues to rage uncontrolled.

The mission, requested by the French Red Cross, focuses on caring for displaced residents, bolstering shelters, and assisting specialist teams on the ground. Andorra's Civil Protection is contributing around 300 campaign beds, food preparation trailers, shower and toilet facilities, and two transport vehicles. Director Jordi Ribes described the scene as "chaotic" due to the fire's rapid spread and constant shifts in aid coordination.

Teams are based at a high school turned temporary shelter for 400 to 500 people, stocked with donations of food, water, clothing, and essentials. While basic needs are met, evacuees face deep uncertainty, with many unsure if they can return home or have lost everything.

Four Andorran Red Cross personnel, including logistics technician Joan Marc Martí, handle routine emergencies, hospital transfers, and firefighter logistics under a cooperation pact. They provide ambulance services akin to those of Andorra's firefighters, such as stabilizing and transporting an injured person from a sports stadium. Martí noted that sanitary task instructions change hourly, with about 70 ambulances from various groups deployed near the flames. Some 250 to 300 aid workers are on site overall.

The fire has scorched 42,000 hectares, destroyed 240 homes, and prompted the preventive evacuation of 220,000 people from 24 municipalities since last Thursday. In Lacanau, authorities ordered 4,000 tourists to leave campsites, holiday homes, and leisure parks as hotspots reignited. Extinguishing efforts involve 2,750 firefighters, 1,500 soldiers, 1,440 gendarmes, 18 water bombers, drones, and an Airbus A400M. Though the perimeter is holding, a new heatwave with temperatures up to 40°C and winds poses further risks.

Organized in four-day rotations, the initial team arrived Sunday night, with two more joining Monday. The deployment was set to end Thursday but will continue as long as needed, with additional staff available for Gironde and Landes. Martí remarked that Andorra could not manage a fire of this scale alone.