Fires in France

More than 2,000 hectares have burned in the Aude department near Narbonne since Monday, July 7. BFMTV has been following the work of gendarmerie investigators as they attempt to determine its origin.

From "fixed" fire to "extinguished" fire, including "flooding," firefighters use different specific terms to define the state of a fire.

A fire burned 400 hectares of vegetation and forest in Hérault. It is now "under control" but remains under surveillance. Other fires affected the Bouches-du-Rhône and Hérault departments on Saturday.

After the devastating fires of summer 2022, underground lignite continued to burn. To deal with it, specialists had to dig the burning materials out of the ground, spread them out, and water them to lower their temperature.

The government announced this Tuesday, October 15, the launch of a national campaign to highlight the importance of clearing brush, which is essential for preventing forest fires.

A fire broke out in Canet-en-Roussillon, in the Pyrénées-Orientales region, on the night of August 18-19. Eleven people were injured and 3,000 holidaymakers at a campsite had to be evacuated.

In the summer of 2022, more than 30,000 hectares of Gironde forest went up in smoke. Slowly, vegetation is growing back and the forest is regenerating, but the area must continue to be carefully monitored.

With summer expected to be hot and dry, the Aude region experienced its first forest fire on Tuesday. Equipped with new surveillance equipment, the department's firefighters are expecting numerous operations.

Firefighters brought a forest fire in the Ariège department under control on Wednesday, February 7. Authorities will continue to monitor the area to prevent the blaze from spreading again.

This summer, 14,558 hectares burned in France, a much lower figure than last year. France is also an exception compared to several other Mediterranean countries ravaged by flames.

Between 2010 and 2019, pollution caused by wildfires was nearly four times higher in poor countries than in rich ones, scientists found.

Three fires have broken out in the Hautes-Alpes region since last Sunday. They are contained but not completely extinguished and require constant monitoring by firefighters.

This new fire is the third outbreak of fire recorded in the department since Sunday.

More than 170 firefighters are responding to the scene, and at least one business has been evacuated as a safety precaution. Five homes have been protected from the flames.

Three of the department's six sectors have been placed at "very severe" risk of fire.

A forest fire broke out this Thursday afternoon in a steep mountain range near Propiac, in the Drôme department. The flames covered two to three hectares.

Although the fire was "contained and stabilized" overnight from Monday to Tuesday, firefighters were still working in the Pyrénées-Orientales region on Wednesday to prevent the flames from spreading again, emergency services said.

The fire, now under control, has swept through 500 hectares of vegetation and threatened the towns of Saint-André, Sorède and Argelès, in the south of the Pyrénées-Orientales, leading to the evacuation of more than 3,000 people.

On BFMTV this Tuesday, Minister for Ecological Transition Christophe Béchu announced that "dozens of people," mainly tourists, "are being supported" after losing their homes in the fire that occurred Monday evening near Argelès-sur-Mer.

Although the fire in the Saint-André area of the Pyrénées-Orientales has not yet been brought under control, the department's prefect assures that "the situation is beginning to improve."

At least 3,000 people were evacuated this Monday in the Pyrénées-Orientales region. "The villages of Saint André, Sorède, and the town of Argelès are under threat," firefighters warned.

A fire has broken out in the town of Saint-André in the Pyrénées-Orientales region. More than 500 firefighters are responding to the fire, and significant aerial resources have been deployed.

While flames have ravaged thousands of hectares of forest around the Mediterranean, the north and centre of the European continent are facing exceptional flooding.

The area affected by the fire covers more than 150 hectares along the French-Spanish Catalan border. A French water bomber aircraft has been dispatched to the area.

Weather conditions in the coming days increase the risk of forest fires starting and spreading, particularly in the southeast of the country.

A vegetation fire broke out this Sunday at midday in Pennes-Mirabeau. It was quickly contained by firefighters.

Firefighters announced on Sunday that the fire, which broke out on Tuesday in Bairols, is now "under control."

Maximum alert had already been triggered for the first time in Bouches-du-Rhône on Tuesday, July 25.

The Drôme prefecture has mobilized significant land and air resources in the southeast of the department following the outbreak of three simultaneous fires in an uninhabited area this Thursday afternoon.

The scouts are responsible for monitoring and preventing forest fires in the Calanques park during the summer.

The fire started around 4:30 p.m. in the hills above Marseille, near Pennes-Mirabeau. Aerial resources are on site.

32,000 tourists have been evacuated amid the fires currently affecting Greece. Among them are northern holidaymakers who are happy to have returned safely.

A vegetation fire broke out Tuesday in Cagnes-sur-Mer (Alpes-Maritimes). It was contained by firefighters around 5 p.m.

Firefighters battled wildfires in the south of France on Tuesday and remain on high alert. In the event of a fire, both local residents and tourists are urged to adopt the correct reflexes.

Firefighters were battling a blaze fueled by gusts of wind overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, threatening three villages in Haute-Corse, emergency services said.

The two fires broke out late Tuesday afternoon. More than 300 firefighters battled the flames in Arles and Velaux.

These new forecast maps present the degree of risk of forest and vegetation fires at the departmental level via a color code ranging from green (low) to red (very high) via yellow (moderate) and orange (high).

Haute-Corse was placed on orange alert for heatwaves this Tuesday by Météo-France. On BFMTV, the department's prefect assured that the state is ready to mobilize in the event of wildfires.

Speaking to BFMTV, residents of Saint-Magne and Guillos, in Gironde, said they were still "scarred" by the violent fires that hit the southwest of the country in the summer of 2022.