France wildfire under control after 42,000 hectares, minister says

France's largest wildfire since 1949 is under control after burning 42,000 hectares near Bordeaux, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Saturday.

Nunez said the fire was no longer progressing, but added that it remained active in some areas. The blaze in the Gironde region has ripped through pine forest along the Atlantic coastline and destroyed around 240 homes.

Sophie Brocas, the prefect of Gironde, said most of the 220,000 people evacuated from the flames had gone home. Nunez said some people would have to wait until the fire was put out in areas where it was still active.

Inhabitants allege that a brushwood-clearing machine accidentally started the blaze with a spark last Wednesday. The cause has not been established in the supplied material.

In southeastern France, firefighters stopped the advance of a fast-moving fire that started on Friday in the Var region. Regional prefect Simon Babre said strong winds had pushed the flames quickly, but reported on Saturday morning that there was no new progression.

The European Forest Fire Information System, which uses satellite data, said 92,000 hectares had burned in France so far this year, the largest annual total recorded over the past 20 years.