Wildfires force 12,000 evacuations in southern France as heatwave grips Europe

Fire forces mass evacuations

A wildfire that broke out on Saturday evening near Trévillach, in the Pyrénées-Orientales department of southern France, has burned through 4,900 hectares and forced the evacuation of more than 12,000 residents from around 20 communes. Prefect Pierre Regnault de la Mothe said on Tuesday morning that the fire had not progressed overnight thanks to counter-fire operations, but conditions remained unfavourable. Eleven people have been lightly injured, including seven firefighters, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez. Around 800 firefighters are battling the blaze, supported by six waterbombing aircraft sent by European partners.

Tour de France disrupted

The third stage of the Tour de France, a 196-kilometre route from Granollers in Spain to Les Angles in France, was closed to spectators on Monday. Only riders and team vehicles were allowed on the road to give firefighters unimpeded access to the area. Tour director Christian Prudhomme confirmed the decision, and the motorcade following the race was kept to a minimum.

I regret to say this: at least in France, this will be a Tour de France stage without spectators.

European aid mobilised

The European Union dispatched four waterbombing aircraft from Cyprus and Sweden, along with more than 100 firefighters, to assist French emergency teams. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted on X that Europe stands with France. Interior Minister Nunez, visiting the area on Monday, praised European solidarity and announced that two French and six European aircraft would be deployed on Tuesday to attack the fire's right flank, which is causing the most concern.

Europe stands with France.

Heatwave fuels fires across the region

The fire near Perpignan is one of several burning across southern Europe as a severe heatwave grips the continent. In the Drôme department of southeastern France, another blaze has consumed 1,000 hectares, prompting the evacuation of Montmaur-en-Diois and Barsac. In Spain, a wildfire in Girona has scorched 2,200 hectares and remains uncontrolled; police arrested a worker suspected of sparking it with an angle grinder. Portugal has seen hundreds of blazes, with the largest burning through 13,000 hectares in the north, though that fire is now under control. In Greece, a forest fire burned two factories near Thessaloniki.

Battle against the flames

Firefighters are using tactical counter-fires to contain the blaze, but weather conditions are working against them. Charlotte Couture, a wildfire expert at Météo-France, said the region has had no rain at all for more than a month and no significant rain for more than two months. Temperatures are forecast to reach 40 °C again this week, and 61 French departments are under orange heatwave alert. Scientists link the extreme conditions to human-caused climate change, which is making heatwaves and droughts more frequent and intense.