A fast-moving wildfire that broke out on Monday afternoon in the forested massif of La Double, near Saint-Vallier in France’s Charente department, expanded sharply during the evening, destroying about 230 hectares of vegetation, according to the prefecture. More than 200 firefighters, backed by Dash and Canadair water-bombers, battled the blaze. Prefect Jérôme Harnois said 180 additional personnel were en route to reinforce ground crews, while aerial operations were suspended after dusk. Authorities reported that a preventive evacuation relocated around 50 people with assistance from the gendarmerie. The fire led the SNCF to close a section of the high-speed line between Angoulême and Bordeaux, disrupting TGV traffic on the Paris–Bordeaux axis. The department remains under a red-level heatwave alert, complicating containment efforts, and officials warned that the perimeter’s edges are still active as overnight operations continue.