Before-and-after satellite images show the staggering toll of France's worst wildfire season on record

Before-and-after satellite photos show wildfires in Ponteves, France.2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERSWildfires began ravaging southwestern France in mid-July following record heat waves.Satellite images show heavy smoke, and aerial photos show damage to cities and forests.

France deployed 250,000 firefighters and aircraft, including water bombers and A400Ms.Weeks of record-breaking heat and fast-moving wildfires have scorched large swaths of France.French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said in a statement on Friday that 116,085 hectares of land had burned in wildfires across France this year, amounting to the country's worst wildfire season on record.

Around 250,000 people have been evacuated in the affected areas of the Gironde and Landes regions of southwest France since the wildfires began in mid-July, France's Interior Ministry said.Record-breaking heat waves across Europe and prolonged drought conditions have contributed to the severity of the damage.Photos show plumes of smoke visible from space, burned remains of neighborhoods, and France's continued firefighting efforts.

A satellite photo of Pontevès, France, taken on July 19, before the wildfires broke out, showed the valleys, vineyards, and landscapes that have made it a tourist destination.Satellite imagery shows an area before it was affected by wildfire, in Ponteves, France July 19, 2026.2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERSThis satellite photo from July 21 showed thick smoke clouds from active wildfires engulfing the region.

Satellite imagery shows smoke rising from a wildfire in an area in Ponteves, France July 21, 2026.2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERSOn the ground, firefighters in Pontevès deployed hose teams to put out remaining flames and prevent reignition in the blackened forests.Firefighters coordinate wildfire suppression operations while extinguishing remaining hotspots near Domaine de la Marseillaise in Ponteves, Var, France, July 23, 2026.

Crews assess the fire perimeter and