French authorities on Thursday allowed about 84,000 people evacuated by a massive wildfire in the country's southwest to return home, as cooler temperatures and improved weather conditions helped firefighters gain the upper hand against one of France's largest recent blazes.
The wildfire, which has scorched around 42,000 hectares of land in the Gironde region near Bordeaux, is no longer spreading, officials said, although firefighting operations continue to extinguish remaining hotspots.
The return of residents marks a significant step forward after about 224,000 people were forced to evacuate at the height of the crisis.
Regional authorities advised returning residents to wear gloves and face masks while cleaning ash from their homes and to remain prepared in case renewed evacuations become necessary.
The A63 motorway south of Bordeaux, a key transport route linking France and Spain, has also reopened ahead of the busy August holiday season.
More than 3,300 firefighters, supported by aircraft, helicopters and international assistance, remain engaged in containing the blaze. Crews are creating firebreaks, removing vegetation and carrying out controlled burns to prevent the fire from reigniting.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said police water cannons had also been deployed to help extinguish lingering hotspots.
A drop in temperatures, higher humidity and light rainfall have provided much-needed relief after France endured its fourth heatwave of the year.
Across southern Europe, however, extreme heat continues to fuel wildfires. Firefighters remained engaged in battling blazes in Spain, Turkey, Germany and the United Kingdom, while Greece reported the deaths of three firefighters on the island of Crete.
In Romania, authorities shut down both reactors at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant because low water levels in the Danube River affected cooling operations.
Successive heatwaves and prolonged dry conditions have left much of southern Europe vulnerable to wildfires, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes and holiday destinations in recent weeks.