LEGE-CAP FERRET, France (AP) — A raging wildfire in southwest France forced the evacuation of 55,000 people overnight Sunday, taking the total forced out of their homes to 220,000 in one region alone as the flames have crept ever closer to the wine region city of Bordeaux.
Authorities in the Gironde region, where Bordeaux is located, issued overnight evacuation orders for five more localities southwest of the historic city.
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The rising sun appears through smoke from burning wildfires near Marcheprime, outside Bordeaux, France, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)
Firefighters spray water in a burning forest near Lacanau, southwestern France, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)
Firefighters spray water in a burning forest near Lacanau, southwestern France, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)
Firefighters spray water in a burning forest near Lacanau, southwestern France, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)
Gusting winds fed the flames overnight, accelerating the spread of the fire that has been burning out of control since midweek, the authorities' statement said.
The Gironde prefect also ordered the partial closure of a major highway heading southwest from Bordeaux.
The city's mayor said the fire “is still at the gates of the metropolitan area,” having advanced to about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from Bordeaux at its closest point.
A second fire burning further south in the Landes region has also forced the evacuation of 30,000 people this week, taking the total driven out of their homes by the blazes to more than 250,000.
In neighboring Spain, authorities have evacuated 70,000 people this week because of fires west of Madrid.
The rising sun appears through smoke from burning wildfires near Marcheprime, outside Bordeaux, France, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)
Firefighters spray water in a burning forest near Lacanau, southwestern France, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)
Firefighters spray water in a burning forest near Lacanau, southwestern France, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)
Firefighters spray water in a burning forest near Lacanau, southwestern France, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)
BERLIN (AP) — German authorities on Sunday issued a wanted notice for a fugitive suspect in the van ramming near Berlin’s Pride festival that left one person dead and injured at least 16 others.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz described what happened late Saturday evening as “an attack on our society.”
Police and prosecutors asked for help in finding the 21-year-old suspect, whom they identified as Abdul B. They said he is believed to have injured several people with a moving vehicle, and that one or more people apparently then left that vehicle. Several people were also apparently stabbed, they added.
Sunday’s notice warned the public to avoid “direct contact” with the suspect, saying that he may be armed and dangerous.
Police had said earlier that they had identified a suspect who has ties to Islamic groups in the German capital.
“The suspect is known to police. He is known to us as a member of Islamic circles here in Berlin, and our search for this person is proceeding at full speed,” police spokesperson Florian Nath said.
Nath added that investigators had no information on “his specific motives.”
According to police, a white van drove into the Tiergarten park around 10 p.m. and hit several people before colliding with a tree. The closing party at the Pride festival, known as Christopher Street Day, was ongoing nearby at the time, following a parade with some 80 trucks that had made its way through downtown Berlin earlier in the day.
Police said a woman was killed. Berlin's fire service said that three people sustained life-threatening injuries, another eight were seriously injured and five had slight injuries.
The Pride event next to the Brandenburg Gate was called off around 10:15 p.m. and a band’s performance on stage was interrupted. People were urged to go home and to avoid taking the route through the park.
“What an abhorrent act in Berlin,” Merz wrote in a post on X. He added that Germany loves freedom, “and we will preserve and defend that.”
Hundreds of thousands of people had come to Berlin to celebrate on Saturday, though it's unclear how many were still at the festival by late evening. It’s one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ celebrations.
Julian Miethig, who had attended the party at the Brandenburg Gate, said he wanted to go to an afterparty when he heard from a friend that “something bad happened there and there are a lot of fire trucks, a lot of emergency vehicles, ambulances.”
“It’s a dark day for the community,” he said.
The van, with its battered front resting against a tree, could still be seen at the scene Sunday morning.
Associated Press writers Kirsten Grieshaber and Fanny Brodersen in Berlin contributed to this report.
Two people walk together past emergency vehicles in Berlin, early Sunday, July 26, 2026, following the cancellation of Christopher Street Day festivities. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Emergency personnel and police gather in Berlin, early Sunday, July 26, 2026, following the cancellation of Christopher Street Day festivities. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Emergency personnel and police gather in Berlin, early Sunday, July 26, 2026, following the cancellation of Christopher Street Day festivities. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Emergency personnel and police gather in Berlin, early Sunday, July 26, 2026, following the cancellation of Christopher Street Day festivities. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Two people embrace near others wearing thermal blankets as they stand near emergency personnel in Berlin, early Sunday, July 26, 2026, following the cancellation of Christopher Street Day festivities. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
