Firefighters battle wildfire in southern France
Hundreds of firefighters battled the blaze as strong winds and dry vegetation drove the flames, and officials said about 200 people were evacuated.
- A large wildfire raged across southern France on July 1, consuming 800ha as hundreds of firefighters mobilized in the Herault and Aude departments.
- Temperatures of around 30C combined with strong wind gusts drove the fire through dry vegetation, while difficult hilly terrain with no access routes hampered firefighting efforts.
- About 200 people were evacuated or confined in Pouzols-Minervois and Mailhac, though a prefecture source said "the fire is contained at times," officials confirmed "it is not under control."
- Water-Dumping aircraft joined suppression efforts as local firefighters reported two smaller blazes breaking out in Rognac and Lancon Provence near Marseille.
- The crisis follows major blazes in the Corbieres region last year and occurs days after a deadly heatwave across Europe, with another heatwave forecast.
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About half of those affected were brought by campsites, where dozens of campers and 26 bungalows were destroyed by the flames.
Since the beginning of the summer, almost 7,000 fires have erupted in France, according to government reports. Narbonne has cleared a campsite, and Marseilles is also on fire.
BT
More heat is on the way to France, which is battling forest fires following unusual drought and strong gusts of wind.
More than three thousand people were evacuated in the south of France, between Santa Maria and Canet de Rosselló, by a great fire that burned yesterday and that had already razed 900 hectares, according to the city of Canet. The flames advanced unchecked, fuelled by strong winds and extreme environmental dryness, and spread to the port of the population, where several boats burned. The smoke could be seen from several kilometers away and forced …
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