Southern France battles fast-spreading wildfires after heatwave

PARIS: Fire crews were deployed across southern France on Thursday as several blazes flared in terrain dried out by Europe’s recent heatwave, with authorities saying more than 1,200 hectares were burned in a single day and new fires were reported near Marseille.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said three separate wildfires, including two on the western side of the Mediterranean port city of Marseille, had together scorched 1,210 hectares. Later in the day, as Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu arrived in Marseille to lead a fresh crisis meeting on the heatwave and the fires, firefighters told him another blaze had erupted near Roquemaure in the Gard area.

Lecornu said 8,700 hectares had burned across France so far this fire season, including 1,200 hectares on Wednesday alone. He added that 2,000 firefighters had been mobilised in the response.

Major fire near Spanish border

The biggest wildfire was burning in the Aude department close to the Spanish border, where about 900 hectares had been destroyed. Local authorities said strong winds were making it harder for around 800 firefighters to bring that fire under control.

In other affected areas, firefighters were close to controlling a smaller blaze near Marseille’s airport in Rognac. Another fire in Lancon-Provence, which burned 260 hectares, had already been contained. Local officials said no casualties had been reported.

Smoke lingered across parts of the region, with a strong burning smell hanging in the air. According to a Reuters witness, passengers on at least one flight landing in Marseille were reassured by pilots that the odour was not coming from the aircraft.

Evacuations and heat concerns

Further east, in Frejus in the Var department, a forest fire forced the evacuation of more than 2,000 people from six campsites on Wednesday. The resort town lies about 35 kilometres from Cannes.

The World Meteorological Organization warned last week that the record temperatures seen across Western Europe for more than a week in late June would increase wildfire danger because of prolonged heat, very low humidity and dry vegetation.

The wildfires have also added to political pressure on Lecornu’s minority government, which is due to face a no-confidence vote in parliament on Monday after Green Party lawmakers tabled a motion over its handling of the heatwave crisis.