Violent thunderstorms spark fires and power outages across northern France

On the night of 27‑28 June 2026 a severe thunderstorm system swept through the northern French departments of Aisne, Oise and surrounding areas. Winds exceeded 100 km/h, hail fell and lightning struck, igniting several fires. In Aisne, lightning caused multiple blazes and knocked out electricity for about 56,000 households, with 28,000 still without power the following morning. The emergency services responded to roughly 2,000 calls and carried out 118 interventions, deploying over 80 firefighters and dozens of vehicles.

In the Oise commune of La Neuville‑en‑Hez, a house was hit by lightning and the roof was engulfed; the two occupants escaped unharmed but the fire destroyed the upper part of the building. Similar lightning‑induced pavilion fires were reported elsewhere in the department. A separate forest fire in Bains‑sur‑Oust, Brittany, burned one hectare of woodland, prompting the deployment of 115 firefighters and specialised crews. Additionally, three commercial premises in Nantes and Mauves‑sur‑Loire caught fire during the night, causing no injuries but threatening structural collapse at one site.

Overall, the storms caused widespread property damage, extensive power outages affecting tens of thousands and a large coordinated firefighting effort across several French regions.