Forest Fire in Southern France: 10,000 Evacuated, Tour de France Affected

The major fire is forcing residents in two dozen small towns and villages to leave their homes. The authorities announced that around 10,000 people have now been evacuated. Previously, evacuations had already been ordered over the weekend for about 5,000 people from localities in the mountain range west of Perpignan. The number rose significantly during the course of Monday, as the situation further intensified according to the prefecture.

Evacuations and Appeals from the Authorities

The prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department called on people in the region to keep the roads completely clear for firefighting forces and not to return to their homes to secure belongings. All security forces must focus on combating the fire, the prefecture stated. Anyone who does not comply with the restrictions must expect a fine. A short-time work arrangement is to be made for companies whose employees are unable to come to work.

During the operation, one firefighter and one resident were seriously injured. Hundreds of firefighters battled the blaze, which was fueled by wind, intense heat, and above all, exceptionally high air dryness. Weather conditions in the region were considered extremely critical: the highest warning level, Red, was issued for seven departments in southeastern France, while a high forest fire danger exists in 41 other departments. Due to a new heatwave, the second-highest alert level, Orange, is in effect in 16 departments, with temperatures of up to 40 degrees expected.

Impact on the Tour de France

Interior Minister Nunez summed up the situation with the words: "Today the fight continues." Authorities expressed concern that changing wind directions and the continued dry air would further complicate firefighting efforts. No significant improvement in weather is in sight in the coming days either.

Situation in Spain

The fire is having a direct impact on the Tour de France. The third stage of the race, whose route leads from Granollers in Spain to the French destination of Les Angles, had to take place on the French side of the border without spectators. The organizers responded to the difficult fire situation along the course.

The flames also raged on the Spanish side of the border. There, the fire devastated around 2,200 hectares of land, with 97 percent of the area located in the Les Gavarres nature reserve. The situation was particularly tense in northeastern Spain near the town of Bisbal d'Empodrá in the hinterland of the Costa Brava tourist region. Due to heavy smoke, authorities on Friday called on around 45,000 residents of several towns east of Girona not to leave their homes. The Catalan authorities announced late on Saturday evening that the situation there was stable and the fire was expected to be extinguished during the week. On Sunday, a 76-year-old "intoxicated" man was also arrested on suspicion of having started the fire.

Further Fires in Southern Europe

Further south in the Spanish province of Castellón, 500 people had to be brought to safety from a fire in the Sierra de Espadán National Park. In Greece, a forest fire also engulfed a recycling plant. Authorities called on residents of some neighborhoods of Thessaloniki to stay in their homes and keep windows and doors closed because the smoke contained toxic substances. Around 160 firefighters battled the flames, which were fanned by the wind. Firefighting aircraft were launched at dawn, the fire department said. In another forest fire about 20 kilometers northeast of Thessaloniki, a man and his 12-year-old son were killed on Wednesday. In the Oreokastro region, around 115 firefighters, together with 38 fire engines and an unknown number of volunteers, fought the blaze.

In Portugal, emergency services faced another major situation. In the Vouzela region in central Portugal, more than 1,200 firefighters, supported by nearly 400 vehicles and 15 aircraft, attempted to extinguish a fire that broke out on Thursday. The EU Earth observation program Copernicus told the AP news agency that the fire had spread to an area of 12,000 hectares in the Vouzela region. That corresponds to roughly the area of 3,100 football fields. There too, a fire had already burned at least 2,300 hectares of bush and woodland. The EU's Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid said that Spain had sent 120 firefighters and 45 vehicles to Portugal as reinforcements on Friday.

European Response and Background

In view of the increasing risk of forest fires across Europe, almost 800 firefighters from 14 countries are being stationed in particularly vulnerable areas in Cyprus, Greece, Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal, according to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Although most forest fires are caused by humans, according to the fire department, more frequent heat waves and the associated drought as a result of climate change favor their spread.

Emergency services in southern France prepared for another long working day, according to Interior Minister Nunez. The hope rests on a change in weather in the coming days, according to the prefecture. Until then, the rule is: "Today the fight continues."