LANCON, France, July 2 - Fire crews were engaged on Thursday in containing several wildfires across southern France, where parched vegetation and gusty winds have intensified the blazes. Interior Ministry figures put the total area burned from three separate fires at 1,210 hectares (12,100,000 square meters), with two of those fires starting on the western perimeter of Marseille.
The largest of the incidents is in the Aude administrative department, close to the border with Spain. Local officials said approximately 900 hectares have burned there, and that high winds are complicating the efforts of about 800 firefighters assigned to the blaze.
In the vicinity of Marseille, responders were working to suppress a small fire in Rognac, near the city’s airport, while another fire covering 260 hectares in Lancon-Provence had been brought under control. Authorities reported no casualties in connection with these fires.
An acrid smoke hung over parts of the region. A Reuters witness at one landing reported pilots reassuring passengers that the odor of smoke they noticed was not emanating from their aircraft.
Further east in the Var department, in the resort town of Frejus about 35 kilometers from Cannes, officials evacuated more than 2,000 people from six campsites on Wednesday as a nearby forest fire threatened the area.
The World Meteorological Organization had warned last week that the record-breaking temperatures which baked western Europe for more than a week in late June would elevate wildfire risk, citing forecasts for sustained high temperatures, very low humidity and dry fuel in vegetation. France’s weather office also warned that another spell of extreme heat could arrive next week.
French health officials estimate that the recent heatwave may have led to roughly 1,000 excess deaths during the period of record temperatures. Emergency services continue to monitor conditions and manage evacuations and firefighting operations as weather factors evolve.
Context and response:
- Three fires have burned a combined 1,210 hectares, with the largest incident in Aude causing about 900 hectares of damage.
- About 800 firefighters were deployed to combat the Aude fire, where high winds are hindering suppression efforts.
- Evacuations affected over 2,000 people in Frejus after a nearby forest fire threatened several campsites; no fatalities have been reported.