Heat wave in France: Firefighters fight fires in the south of the country

Firefighters fight several forest fires fueled by strong winds in the south of France this Thursday (2). The country is facing a period of drought following the recent heatwave in Europe.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the three fires, two of which started on the outskirts of the port city of Marseille, had devastated a combined area of 1,210 hectares.

The World Meteorological Organization warned last week that the record temperatures that hit Europe at the end of June would worsen the risk of forest fires, due to high temperatures, very low humidity and dry vegetation.

The largest fire recorded to date occurred near the Spanish border, burning around 900 hectares. Authorities said the strong winds made it difficult for 800 firefighters to fight the fire.

Meanwhile, firefighters were fighting a small fire in Rognac, near Marseille airport, and controlling another nearby, which spread to 260 hectares in Lançon-Provence. According to authorities, there were no casualties.

A strong smell of smoke hung over the pilots' area on at least one flight that landed in the city. Passengers were reassured that the smell was not coming from the aircraft, a witness said.

In Fréjus, a tourist town in the Var department, about 35 kilometers from Cannes, more than two thousand people were evacuated from six campsites on Wednesday (1st) due to a nearby forest fire.

The French meteorological service has warned that another wave of extreme heat could hit the country next week. Health officials estimate that previous extreme temperatures may have caused 1,000 deaths in the country.

Understand why Europe is the hottest continent in the world

Source: CNN