Several 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 Herault regions. Up to 800 firefighters and 150 vehicles were deployed to combat flames that spread over 900 hectares (2,200 acres).
In the Pyrenees-Orientales region, nearly 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 yacht engulfed in flames in Canet-en-Roussillon, and a thick cloud of dark smoke blew over the beach.
Pierre Regnault de La Mothe, the top regional official in the southern department of Pyrenees-Orientales, said two firefighters sustained minor injuries.
Earlier in the day, firefighters brought two fires under control on the outskirts of Marseille, France’s second-largest city.
Weather conditions increase risk of wildfires
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, who held a crisis meeting in Marseille, said nearly 7,000 fires have broken out since the start of the summer season, with some 8,700 hectares already burned.
“The situation is fairly tense,” he said.
Since Wednesday, 1,200 firefighters have been mobilized to battle forest fires, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez.
“Weather conditions remain particularly unfavorable,” he wrote on X.
In June, France experienced an 11-day record-breaking heat wave, with temperatures climbing above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in many places.
High temperatures and drought conditions are expected to persist, with no rain in the forecast for the coming days.
The combination of severe water stress on plants and vegetation, as well as strong winds blowing across the Mediterranean region, increases the risk of wildfires.
Edited by: Sean Sinico
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