Wildfires rage in southern France, 3,000 people evacuated

Firefighters work to extinguish a wildfire burning near Sainte-Valiere, Aude department, southern France. (EPA Images pic)

CANET-EN-ROUSILLON: Nearly 3,000 people have been evacuated in southwestern France, as prime minister Sebastien Lecornu sounded the alarm over an early outbreak of wildfires in the wake of a record-breaking heatwave.

Tourists and local residents had to be moved after a wildfire broke out in the town of Sainte-Marie-la-Mer and spread to Canet-en-Roussillon on Thursday.

The fire that started at a campsite destroyed dozens of mobile homes before spreading to the marina area, where thick, toxic smoke blanketed the boats.

Firefighters said nearly 3,000 people were evacuated with half of them from three campsites in the affected area.

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries, said Pierre Regnault de La Mothe, the top regional official for the department of Pyrenees-Orientales.

Two hundred firefighters and four water-bombing helicopters were deployed to put out the blazes.

“We are mobilising a large network of volunteers,” said the prefect.

In June, France experienced a record-breaking heatwave which lasted 11 days and saw temperatures climb above 40C in many places.

Apart from having “major impacts” on human health, ecosystems, agriculture, and infrastructure, the extraordinary heatwave worsened the risk of wildfires, the World Meteorological Organisation has said.

Government under pressure

Some French politicians have denounced what they call the authorities’ inadequate measures to help France face rising temperatures. The Greens on Thursday filed a no-confidence motion against the government of Sebastien Lecornu.

Lecornu said on Thursday that “climatic events” had contributed to “fairly severe” and unusually early forest fires.

“We must acknowledge that they are occurring roughly 15 days to three weeks earlier than the usual periods,” he said at a crisis meeting in the southern city of Marseille.

He said that 7,000 wildfires had been recorded since the start of the season, with 8,700 hectares already destroyed by the flames.

The intensity and early onset of the fires will require “a great deal of endurance” from both authorities and firefighters, the prime minister added.

About 2,000 firefighters – including volunteers and military personnel – were mobilised on Wednesday and Thursday.

The largest wildfire recorded, which broke out Wednesday in the departments of Aude and Herault, kept spreading, fanned by the wind, having already scorched about 900 hectares.

Weather conditions remain unfavourable, with wind gusts reaching 70km per hour and continuing to strengthen, officials say.

The Meteo-France weather agency said a new spell of high temperatures would hit the country next week, although they are not expected to be as extreme as in June.