France: Why is the Southwest so vulnerable to wildfires?

The Gironde region around Bordeaux is once again fighting major wildfires, according to France 24, four years after a devastating blaze tore through the same area. France 24 reports that a mix of high-risk factors has left the southwest especially exposed: vast forests of maritime pine, a persistent drought, and heavy summer tourist traffic, all of which help fast-moving fires spread. As correspondent Morgan Ayre explains, that combination is why the region keeps landing back in the path of the flames.

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