Southern France wildfires force evacuation of thousands

An intense heatwave, drought and winds of up to 60 km/h have sparked a crisis of forest fires across southern France. Since the start of the season, about 8,700 ha of forest have burned, including roughly 1,200 ha on a single day. Six departments are on red‑alert, with the worst blaze in Pyrénées‑Orientales prompting the evacuation of around 3,000 people, many of them tourists from six campsites, and the destruction of 281 bungalows and a local yacht harbour. Overall evacuations reached about 5,000 residents and visitors. Other major fires have affected Aude, Hérault, Gard, Bouches‑du‑Rhône, Var and the Côte d'Azur, burning hundreds of hectares and forcing schools into confinement.

Casualties include six civilians, among them a child, and two firefighters with light injuries; one civilian and one firefighter suffered life‑threatening injuries. Hundreds of firefighters, supported by helicopters and other emergency services, are battling the flames. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and Interior Minister Laurent Nunez have highlighted the role of climate‑related extreme weather and urged stricter fire‑prevention measures. Météo‑France has placed seven departments under the highest red warning and warned that a further heatwave is imminent. The disaster also forced a change to the third stage of the Tour de France, now run without spectators.