France is under the influence of an extreme heatwave that began affecting the country again at the start of the week. The French meteorological service Météo-France announced that due to extremely high temperatures, a "red" alert level has been declared in 9 regions in the west of the country, while an "orange" warning has been issued in 72 regions.
According to Météo-France data, the number of regions under a red alert will rise to 24 starting tomorrow. Temperatures in the capital Paris are expected to exceed 35 degrees Celsius. Additionally, a warning has been issued that the risk of wildfires is "high" or "very high" in 64 regions.
Wildfires Continue in the North
In the town of Trevillach in the Pyrénées-Orientales region in the south of the country, a wildfire that has been burning for several days has turned more than 5,000 hectares to ash. The prefect of Pyrénées-Orientales, Pierre Rene de la Mot, stated that the fire has not yet been fully extinguished but that firefighting efforts are beginning to yield results.
Meanwhile, residents of 14 settlements previously evacuated due to the Trevillach fire have been told they can return to their homes. On the other hand, the fire that has been raging for days in the Drôme region has not yet been brought under control. The fire in the Indre region, which lasted about three days and turned nearly a thousand hectares of farmland to ash, has been completely extinguished by fire crews.
25,000 Hectares Burned Since the Beginning of the Year
Julien Marion, Director General of France's Civil Security and Crisis Management, told reporters that more than 8,000 fires have been recorded in the country since the beginning of the year. Marion noted that some fires are still not extinguished and that the total burned area has reached approximately 25,000 hectares.
Pointing out that this figure is twice as high as the same period last year, Marion said that authorities are continuing to fight the fires.
