Wildfires in southern France force evacuation of 10,000 people

2026-07-06 16:53:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

A huge fire has forced the evacuation of thousands of people in southern France as the country grapples with the effects of an early summer heatwave that has swept across much of Europe.

More than 10,000 people have been ordered to evacuate more than a dozen towns and small villages in the foothills of the French Pyrenees, near the border with Spain.

The fire, located in Trévillach near Perpignan, has burned at least 4,600 hectares (11,366 acres), local prefect Pierre Regnault de la Mothe said in a post on ?X.

"The conditions this morning are deteriorating again," Interior Minister Laurent Nunez warned on French television station TF1. "Today the battle resumes."

Authorities have warned that strong winds could further fuel the fire's spread.

"It came within about 300 meters (984 feet) of the houses. We were shocked by the speed with which it spread, it was shocking - bordering on panic," Patrice, from Trévillach, told AFP news agency.

Tour de France spectators have been asked to stay away from the finish of the third stage of the cycling race on Monday, to allow emergency vehicles access to the area.

The third stage, which is 195.9 km (121 miles) long, starts in the Spanish town of Granollers and finishes in Les Angles, located in the Pyrenees-Orientales region of France.

Tour organizers have asked fans and non-essential personnel to stay away from the final 40km and said a convoy of team vehicles that will now follow will be kept to a minimum.

"An extraordinary fire requires extraordinary measures for the Tour. We invite the public not to come to the edge of the race or to the finish line," said race director Christian Prudhomme.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU will send four aircraft based in Cyprus and Sweden to assist in emergency efforts.

The fires have also affected neighboring Spain, where more than 2,200 hectares in the Les Gavarres nature reserve have been destroyed.

Catalan authorities said late Saturday that the flames were stable and would be completely extinguished within the week, according to Reuters.

In the south of Catalonia, in the eastern province of Castellon, 500 people were evacuated after a large fire swept through the Sierra de Espadan national park.

Temperatures could reach 40 degrees Celsius again in southwestern France this week and have already exceeded 40 degrees Celsius in parts of Portugal and Spain.

"Although this heatwave is unlikely to break records in the way that June's was, it will still be exceptional for this time of year," said Matt Taylor, the BBC's chief weather forecaster.

"With the heat expected to continue into next week and little forecast for widespread rain, the risk of further fires will remain high."

During June's record heatwave, which saw temperatures reach 42 degrees Celsius in some areas, France saw its hottest day ever on average across the country on June 24.

At least 2,025 excess deaths were recorded in France, 1,222 in Belgium and around 480 in the Netherlands during the heatwave.

Climate change is raising temperatures around the world - but especially in Europe. It is the continent that is warming the fastest, warming twice as fast as the global average, according to the Copernicus climate service.

This is causing increased summer heatwaves, greater pressure on Europe's water supplies and more intense fires./CNA, translated by BBC