France fights extensive wildfires in Bischoffsheim and Pyrénées‑Orientales

On 7 July, a vegetation fire on the Bischenberg hill in Bischoffsheim (Alsace) burned roughly one hectare of grass, orchard and vines. Wind‑driven flames reached several metres high before firefighters from Obernai and Bischoffsheim extinguished the blaze with a water tanker. Mayor Claude Lutz announced the cancellation of a fireworks display scheduled for 13 July.

In the Pyrénées‑Orientales, a wildfire that started on Saturday spread across about 4 900 ha of forest and garrigue. Roughly 10 000 residents from villages such as Ille‑sur‑Têt and Rodès were evacuated; around 20 houses and 30 vehicles were destroyed and 11 people, including seven firefighters, suffered minor injuries. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the fire was stabilising and ordered additional aerial resources, deploying two national and six European water‑dropping aircraft. Residents described the smoke as “like entering a tunnel of smoke” and the scene as “an apocalypse.”