PARIS, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Two firefighters were killed Tuesday while battling a major fire near Bordeaux-Merignac Airport in southwestern France's Gironde Department, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said.
Nunez announced the deaths of the two firefighters during a government question session at the French National Assembly.
The fire broke out at around 2:30 p.m. (1230 GMT) near the airport and had not yet been brought under control as of 4 p.m. (1400 GMT), French daily Le Figaro reported.
All departing flights at the airport were put on hold while arriving flights continued to operate. Several roads were closed to facilitate access for emergency services, making it difficult for the public to reach the airport terminal, French regional daily Sud Ouest reported.
Following weeks of heatwaves and dry conditions, Gironde Department was placed under the red alert for forest fires on Tuesday.
More than 42,000 hectares have burned across France between January and mid-July, surpassing the previous record set in 2022, France Info reported Tuesday, citing satellite data from the European Forest Fire Information System. ■