"The fire did not advance overnight thanks to the significant means employed," the local prefect tweeted on Saturday.

European reinforcements assisted local firefighters in battling the blaze that has destroyed woodlands in the Gironde area of France since Tuesday, forcing 10,000 people to abandon their homes. Recently, wind and temperatures up to 40°C have fuelled the flames.

In July, fires ravaged the southwest of France, destroying more than 20,000 hectares of woodland and forcing nearly 40,000 people to temporarily from their homes.

This summer, Europe has been ravaged by flames ignited by a series of heatwaves, highlighting the dangers of climate change to businesses and livelihoods.

On Saturday night, storms are predicted to sweep across France, lowering temperatures and triggering severe weather alerts.

Over one thousand French firefighters were aided by hundreds of firefighters from across Europe and trucks and water-bombing aircraft, which continued to arrive on Saturday.

Hundreds of firefighters are also battling fires in northern Brittany, where 400 hectares have been consumed, and in the eastern Jura region, where more than 500 hectares have been destroyed.

According to the European Forest Fire Information System, more than 60,00 hectares have burned in France this year, which is six times the full-year average for 2006-2021.

Climate activists fill golf holes with cement

Climate activists in the south-eastern region of France have plugged golf course holes with cement to protest the exemption of golf courses from water restrictions amid the country's severe drought.

The company targeted areas close to Toulouse, referring to golf as the "leisure industry of the most privileged."

The exemption of golf fields has aroused controversy because one hundred French villages lack potable water.

According to golf officials, greens would perish without water in three days.

"A golf course without a green is like an ice-rink without ice," France Info quoted Gérard Rougier of the French Golf Federation as saying. He stated that there were 15,000 golf course employees nationwide.

The recent action targeted courses in the cities of Blagnac and Vieille-Toulouse. The local chapter of the Extinction Rebellion organization claimed ownership.

In a petition, the campaigners argued that the exemption demonstrated that "economic madness takes precedence over ecological reason."

In the worst-affected communities, people cannot water their gardens or wash their cars, yet golf courses are exempt from the statewide restrictions.

Nationally mandated water restrictions are enforced at the discretion of regional officials. Only one region, Ille-et-Villaine in western France, has banned the watering of golf courses thus far.

Éric Piolle, the Green mayor of the southeastern city of Grenoble, criticized the exemption, stating, "We continue to protect the rich and powerful."

There remain restrictions on the golf course. The nighttime watering must be performed with no more than 30 percent of the usual volume of water.

A portion of the Loire river has almost completely dried up. In two-thirds of France, a state of emergency has been declared as precipitation has decreased by approximately 85 percent.