Multiple wildfires scorched southern France on Thursday after weeks of dry weather and record-high temperatures during the recent heat wave.
According to local authorities, the largest fires spread in the Aude and Hérault regions. 800 firefighters and 150 vehicles were deployed to tackle the flames that spread over 900 hectares (2,200 acres).
In the Pyrenees-Orientales region, about 3,000 tourists and local residents were evacuated after a wildfire broke out in Sainte-Marie-la-Mer and spread to Canet-en-Roussillon, a town near the Spanish border.
Television images showed warehouses and a ferry in Canet-en-Roussillon engulfed in flames, and a thick cloud of black smoke billowing over the beach.
Pierre Regnault de la Mothe, the top regional official for the southern department of the Pyrenees-Orientales, said two firefighters suffered minor injuries.
Earlier in the day, firefighters battled two blazes on the outskirts of Marseille, France’s second-largest city.
Weather conditions increase wildfire risk
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who held a crisis meeting in Marseille, said nearly 7,000 fires had broken out since the start of the summer season, with about 8,700 hectares of land already burned.
“The situation is very tense,” he said.
According to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, 1,200 firefighters have been deployed to combat the wildfire since Wednesday.
“Weather conditions remain particularly unfavourable,” he wrote on X.
In June, France experienced a record-breaking 11-day heat wave, with temperatures climbing above 40 °C (104 °F) in many places.
High temperatures and drought conditions are expected to persist and no rain is expected in the coming days.
The combination of severe water stress on plants and vegetation as well as strong winds blowing in the Mediterranean region increases the risk of wildfires.
Edited by: Shawn Sinico
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