Drôme wildfire doubles overnight in uninhabited alpine zone, 300 firefighters deployed
A forest fire in a remote mountainous area of France's Drôme department has more than doubled in size overnight, with over 300 firefighters working to contain it, according to local authorities.
Fire reignites after June heatwave
The blaze first ignited on 24 June during a heatwave and was extinguished the following day with aerial support, but remained under surveillance. It reignited in early July and has now been burning for three days in steep, hard-to-access terrain near the commune of Die.
The surface of forest burned has more than doubled overnight and the progression is unfavourable.
Difficult terrain hampers containment
More than 300 firefighters are deployed, but the area's escarpments and lack of roads make ground access extremely challenging. The fire is burning in an uninhabited zone, so no evacuations have been ordered locally.
Scale of the burn
Estimates of the burned area vary between sources. Le Figaro and Mediapart report nearly 300 hectares consumed over three days, while a Le Monde live update cites 540 hectares. The discrepancy may reflect rapidly changing conditions or different measurement times.
- Fire starts during heatwave near Die.
- Fire extinguished with aerial support, remains under surveillance.
- Fire reignites in the same area.
- Burned area more than doubles overnight; 300+ firefighters deployed.
Regional wildfire pressure
While the Drôme fire remains the focus of this cluster, other blazes are active across southern France. In the Pyrénées-Orientales, over 10,000 residents have been evacuated, and a separate fire in the Gard has been contained. The simultaneous outbreaks are straining firefighting resources during an early-summer heat episode.
