Firefighters face the risk of forest fires: "We are on a knife edge because all departments could catch fire"

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Two departments in the South are on red alert for very high fire risk this Thursday, July 17, while six are on orange alert and 37 are on yellow alert. Faced with the increasing dangers, Commander Eric Brocardi, spokesperson for the National Federation of Firefighters, is calling for the State to step up.

Corbières Beach, Marseille, July 8, 2025. (Clement Mahoudeau/AFP)

One after the other, the mountain ranges of southern France are closing to visitors. In the middle of the summer season, three departments that are oscillating between red and orange alerts for the risk of forest fires are making unavoidable prevention decisions. In the Var, six out of nine mountain ranges are advised against access, while the Vaucluse has restricted entry to 12 out of 15 mountain ranges . In the Bouches-du-Rhône, where a fire