France Battles Mediterranean Wildfires as Heatwave Fuels Fire Risk

Around 2,000 firefighters battled multiple wildfires across France’s Mediterranean coast on Thursday as strong winds and dry conditions intensified blazes following Europe’s recent heatwave.

One of the most serious fires erupted in Canet-en-Roussillon near the Spanish border, where television footage showed warehouses and a yacht engulfed in flames while thick smoke drifted across the beachfront. Authorities evacuated about 1,500 people from local campsites, and Perpignan Airport temporarily suspended operations due to the fire.

Emergency crews managed to contain two wildfires on the outskirts of Marseille, France’s second-largest city, earlier in the day. However, firefighters continued to battle a larger blaze in the Aude department, where strong winds hampered containment efforts.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu traveled to Marseille to chair a crisis meeting as his minority government faces a parliamentary no-confidence vote next week over its response to the recent heatwave. France’s national weather agency has also warned that another period of extreme heat could arrive next week, raising concerns about additional wildfire outbreaks.

Lecornu said approximately 8,700 hectares have burned across France since the start of the wildfire season, including 1,200 hectares destroyed on Wednesday alone.

The World Meteorological Organization recently warned that the record-breaking temperatures experienced across Western Europe in late June have significantly increased wildfire risks. Persistently high temperatures, low humidity, and dry vegetation are creating ideal conditions for fast-moving fires.

In Canet-en-Roussillon, authorities deployed four helicopters to assist ground crews, while three Canadair firefighting aircraft remained on standby. Local official Pierre Regnault de la Mothe said emergency teams were prioritizing the protection of the town’s industrial zone, where several facilities store flammable and potentially hazardous materials.

Further east, nearly 700 firefighters continued battling the Aude wildfire, which has already scorched around 900 hectares as winds reaching 70 kilometers per hour complicated operations.

Health officials estimate that France’s recent heatwave may have contributed to at least 1,000 excess deaths, highlighting the growing human toll of increasingly frequent extreme weather events linked to rising temperatures.