French Wildfire Created Its Own Weather, Fire Service Says

A wildfire near Arcachon Bay generated a rare pyrocumulonimbus cloud — heat-driven winds and whirlwinds that made the blaze erratic and unmanageable, per the Gironde fire service. By 26 July 2026, it had burned over 8,700 hectares, injured 42 firefighters, and triggered FR-Alert evacuations across southwestern France.