France wildfires scorch thousands of hectares across Gard, Drôme and Pyrénées‑Orientales

In early July, a series of forest fires ripped through the French department of Gard, burning several hundred hectares, closing the A9 motorway twice and prompting multiple judicial investigations. The prosecutor in Nîmes said the fire in Milhaud likely started accidentally near a pallet warehouse, while other blazes in Pujaut, Roquemaure and Rochefort‑du‑Gard are also being examined for possible criminal liability. Two suspects detained after the Lédenon fire were released when evidence showed they could not have been present.

Further south, the Drôme fire above Die has consumed about 3,700 ha, forcing the evacuation of 400 people, including 350 campers, and mobilising 570 firefighters. The blaze has claimed one firefighter’s life and left 11 others lightly injured. In the Pyrénées‑Orientales, the Trévillach fire has burned nearly 5,000 ha and three new fires near Perpignan have threatened a campsite and a SPA refuge, prompting evacuations. Since the start of the 2026 fire season, roughly 14,500 ha have burned across France, almost double the area burned by the same date last year.