France has placed 27 departments on high wildfire alert as an intense heatwave and prolonged drought continue to fuel dangerous fire conditions across the country.
According to France’s national weather service, Météo-France, the high-risk warning covers all departments in the Pays de la Loire region, as well as several southern areas including Gironde, Haute-Garonne, Aude, Hérault, Gard, Bouches-du-Rhône, Vaucluse, Drôme, Var and Haute-Corse.
At the same time, six southern departments remain under an orange heatwave warning as temperatures continue to soar.
One of the most significant fires broke out on Sunday afternoon in Taradeau, in the Var department, burning nearly 200 hectares of vegetation and damaging around 10 homes in the neighboring municipality of Les Arcs-sur-Argens.
In western France, a vegetation fire in Trignac, Loire-Atlantique, destroyed at least four homes and scorched approximately 21.7 hectares of land. Authorities ordered the precautionary evacuation of 92 homes as firefighters battled the blaze. Around 250 firefighters and 80 emergency vehicles were deployed at the height of the operation, while 60 residents were temporarily accommodated at a local emergency shelter. The fire has since been brought under control.
Meanwhile, in Haute-Corse, two wildfires ignited by lightning strikes last week near Albertacce and Corte have burned around 400 hectares of land. The fires continue to spread through mountainous terrain, making firefighting efforts particularly challenging due to limited accessibility.
Météo-France has warned that several southeastern departments are expected to face a “very high” wildfire risk on Tuesday as hot, dry conditions persist.
Authorities continue to urge residents to remain vigilant and follow fire safety guidelines as emergency services remain on high alert across affected regions.
