Is France ready for a summer of increasingly severe wildfires?
A fire that broke out
close to Marseille on Tuesday morning
had by the evening "reached the gates" of the city, prompting the evacuation of 400 people, a 'stay at home' order for residents of one district and the closure of Marseille airport, train station and several major roads.
Meanwhile a fire further west down the Mediterranean coast, in Narbonne, prompted the closure of the A9 - the main road link with Spain - and the evacuation of several villages.
These are unlikely to be the last major fires of the summer due to tinder-dry conditions and further forecast heatwaves, and all départements along the southern coast remain on alert for wildfires.
Advertisement
Scientists say that climate change is making the European
wildfire season longer
while increasing the geographical spread of fire risk zones and making the
heatwaves that are a major cause of fires
more likely.
So is France prepared to cope with ever worsening wildfire seasons?
Firefighting techniques
Wildfires in France - and all around the Mediterranean - are not new. In October 1970, 11 people died near France's far southeastern border with Italy, and in 1985 an inferno in the same area killed five volunteer firefighters.
Since then fires have become a lot less deadly, mostly due to improved firefighting techniques.
The basic technique is to catch fires before they spread - Grégory Allione, former head of the French firefighters' association and now an MP,
told French newspaper Le Parisien
that five hectares is the tipping point; if a fire spreads beyond that, it becomes very difficult to control and extinguish.
But he added that this technique has 'nipped in the bud' 5,900 fires already this year, and 20 in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône on Monday alone.
As the huge wildfire raged outside Marseille on Tuesday, numerous other small fires started in the surrounding area, all were extinguished before they had the chance to develop, and possibly join up with other blazes.
Technology improvements, especially in aerial firefighting techniques, have also made a big difference.
Senator Olivier Rietmann, co-author of a 2022 report calling for increased resources for firefighting, said: "With 12 Canadair firefighting planes, eight Dash (aircraft dropping red fire-retardant) and water-bombing helicopters, we have one of the best fire-fighting fleets in Europe, but our aircraft are ageing."
Some new planes have been ordered - at a cost of €60 million for each Canadair - and a fire service spokesman said the country will have 16 operational Canadairs by 2028.
France frequently loans its Canadairs to other countries to help battle blazes, usually in Europe but some also went to Los Angeles during the wildfires earlier this year.
Advertisement
Tracking, warning and educating
But France has also made a big investment in tracking fires, especially after 2022 which was France's
worst wildfire year on record
. In total 72,000 hectares, or an area seven times the size of Paris, burned over that summer.
According to the
Office national des forêts
(ONF), the increase in fire prevention funding granted by the French government to the ONF in 2023 and 2024 has made it possible to "double the number of patrols for surveillance and first response to incipient fires, triple the number of patrols for surveillance and control of massifs, and increase by a factor of six the capacity to carry out checks on legal brush clearance obligations'.
Throughout the summer, at almost a hundred sites in France, the agents also carry out water surveys of the vegetation to determine the degree of dryness, and work with Météo France to calculate the level of fire danger.
"We also have at our disposal drones, satellite observations and even camera-equipped airplanes that can quickly identify fire outbreaks," added the ONF spokesman.
Advertisement
This data is available to the public too - the app or website Feux de Fôret allows you to
track fires in real time
, while Météo France publishes a daily forecast of the wildfire risk level for each département during the summer.
READ ALSO
:
MAP: How to check for wildfire alerts in France✎
Local authorities have been given extra powers to ban activities known to cause fires, such as barbecues or fireworks, and it's common for forest areas or national parks to be closed to the public when the wildfire risk is high.
Rules for homeowners have
also been toughened up
- it's a legal requirement to clear vegetation and brush from the area around your property if you live in a wildfire risk zone, and fines can be levied against people who do not perform these duties.
There's also a major effort to educate the public, since 90 percent of wildfires are caused by human activity - either through deliberate arson or, more commonly, via careless behaviour.
The most common causes of wildfires are discarded cigarette butts, barbecues, bonfires or parking a vehicle on a grass verge (where the heat from the exhaust can cause parched grasses to catch fire).
Droughts and tree management
But despite all the fire-fighting efforts, criticism has been levelled at the management of France's forests, where the majority of major wildfires begin.
A 2024 report from the Cour des Comptes (audit court) criticised the way in which forest edges have been transformed over the past forty years as a result of agricultural abandonment, urbanisation and the development of tourist facilities.
Advertisement
The court called on local mayors to better control developments in forest areas.
There's also concern that rules around clearing brush and vegetation from private homes are not enforced effectively.
Christophe Chantepy, forest fire expert with the ONF, said: "In 90 percent of cases, when a house burns down, it's because it hasn't been cleared, or has been cleared incorrectly.
"During the huge fires in Gironde in the summer of 2022, firefighters had difficulty penetrating some of the burning plots because of the dense vegetation and inaccessible access roads. They had to bulldoze their way through."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
a day ago
- Euronews
Fires continue in norhwestern Spain despite end of heatwave
ADVERTISEMENT The Spanish government will declare the areas affected by deadly wildfires that have ravaged much of northern Galicia province as disaster zones. On Tuesday, Spanish firefighters were still at work for a 10th consecutive day to put out a dozen different fires which have collectively burned more than 3,800 kilometres of Spanish woodlands. The fires are some of the country's most destructive fire seasons in recent decades and continue to rage despite temperatures dropping in the Iberian Peninsula following a record-setting European heatwave that has gripped much of the continent's south. Thousands of firefighters aided by soldiers and water-bombing aircraft are continuing to fight fires tearing through parched woodland that were especially severe in north-western Spain, where the country's weather agency AEMET reported a still "very high or extreme" fire risk. The fires in Galicia have ravaged small, sparsely populated towns, forcing locals in many cases to step in before firefighters arrive. Firefighting units from Germany arrived in northern Spain on Tuesday to help fight the blazes, according to Spain's Interior Ministry. More than 20 vehicles were deployed to help fight an ongoing blaze in Jarilla in the Extremadura region, which borders Portugal. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the area Tuesday, where he spoke of the unprecedented heat that has fuelled the fires. Over the last few days, Madrid says Galicia recorded an average daily temperature exceeding 42 degrees Celsius. "Science tells us, common sense tells us too, especially that of farmers and ranchers, of those who live in rural areas, that the climate is changing, that the climate emergency is becoming more and more recurrent, more frequent and has an ever greater impact," Sánchez said. The fires in Spain have killed four people this year and burned more than 3,800 square kilometres, according to the European Union's European Forest Fire Information System. That surface area is more than twice the size of metropolitan London. Many fires have been triggered by human activity. Police have detained 23 people for suspected arson and are investigating 89 more for alleged involvement in sparking or contributing to the disaster. In neighbouring Portugal, more than 3,700 firefighters were braving the flames on Tuesday, including four major active wildfires in central and northern parts of the country. Fires in Portugal have also torched vast areas of land. The European monitor says 2,350 square kilometres were affected by the fires in the country, which have also killed at least two people. The figure is a five-fold increase over an almost two decade average for this period, ranging from 2006 to 2024. Europe has been warming twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service. Scientists say that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness in parts of Europe, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires and necessitating urgent action to reverse the deadly trajectory. Additional sources • AP
Euronews
2 days ago
- Euronews
More troops deployed as Spain aims to intensify firefighting efforts
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says a further 500 soldiers will be deployed to battle wildfires that have torn through parched woodland amid a record-setting European heatwave. The decision to add to the more than 1,400 troops already on wildfire duty came as authorities struggle to contain forest blazes, particularly in the north-western Galicia region and await the arrival of promised aircraft reinforcements from other European countries. Firefighters are tackling 12 major wildfires in the province, all of them near the city of Ourense, according to the head of the Galician regional government Alfonso Rueda, who delivered the update in a joint press conference with Sánchez. "Homes are still under threat so we have lockdowns in place and are carrying out evacuations," said Rueda. "Galicia has been battling the spreading flames for more than a week." Temperatures in Spain could reach 45C in some areas on Sunday, according to the Spanish national weather agency, AEMET. On Saturday, the highest temperature on record was 44.7C in the southern city of Cordoba. "This Sunday, when extraordinarily high temperatures are expected, the danger of wildfires is extreme in most of the country," AEMET said in a post on X. The fires in Spain this year have burned 3,430 square kilometres, according to the EU's European Forest Fire Information System. That is an area roughly the same size as metropolitan London. Experts say Europe has been warming twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s. Scientists believe that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness in parts of Europe, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires. Spain awaits assistance from Europe Madrid is expecting the arrival of two Dutch water-dumping planes that were to join aircraft from France and Italy already helping Spanish authorities under a European cooperation agreement. Firefighters from other countries are also expected to arrive in the region in coming days, as per an announcement by Spain's Civil Protection Agency chief Virginia Barcones told public broadcaster RTVE. National rail operator Renfe said it suspended Madrid-Galicia high-speed train services scheduled for Sunday due to the fires. It's not yet clear when service is expected to resume. Galician authorities advised people to wear face masks to avoid inhaling smoke and ash and advised them to limit time spent outdoors as the risk of heatstroke looms. Cooler days on the horizon for Portugal Portugal is set for cooler weather in the coming days after a string of severe wildfires. A national state of alert was enacted on 2 August due to the blazes and was set to end on Sunday, a day before two Swedish firefighting planes were expected to arrive. Similarly to Spain, Portugal's resources have been stretched. On Sunday, more than 4,000 firefighters and over 1,300 vehicles were deployed, as well as 17 aircraft, to tackle the fires. The scorched area of forest in Portugal so far this year is 17 times what it was in 2024, estimated at around 1,390 square kilometres, according to preliminary calculations by the Portuguese Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests. Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Albania have also requested help from the EU's firefighting force in recent days to deal with forest fires. The force has already been activated as many times this year as in all of last year's summer fire season. Gallipoli memorials threatened by Turkish fires In Turkey, where recent wildfires have killed 19 people, parts of the historic region that includes memorials to World War I's Gallipoli campaign were evacuated on Sunday as blazes threatened homes in the country's northwest provinces. Çanakkale Mayor Omer Toraman says six villages were evacuated as a precautionary measure. Officials say about 1,300 firefighting personnel backed by 30 aircraft were battling the blaze. A wildfire on the peninsula to the north of the Dardanelles Strait led to the closure of visitor facilities at Gallipoli, the site's management said. The area is dotted with cemeteries, memorials and other remnants of battles waged between Ottoman and Allied troops in 1915. Turkey has been struck by hundreds of fires since late June, fuelled by record-breaking temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds.
Local France
2 days ago
- Local France
Bizarre skies and sunsets in France due to smoke from Spanish wildfires
While France is, for the moment, experiencing a respite from wildfires, there are still huge blazes ongoing in Spain and Portugal. The Iberian wildfires are so vast that smoke has drifted as far as western France and is creating some truly strange effects in the skies. Large parts of western France - from the Spanish border up through Bordeaux to the Atlantic coast and into Brittany - have reported unusual skies. During the daytime, a grey-orange tinge has been seen in the skies above western France, in the evening the effect of the smoke has created some unusually vivid sunsets. French weather forecaster Météo France says this is due to a combination of two factors; smoke from the wildfires and sand from the Sahara. Sahara dust storms are normal for this time of year. When there are strong winds and storms in the Sahara Desert, sand is blown into Europe, where it frequently falls mixed with rain, creating the distinctive 'dusty rain' patterns that appear on windows, doors and parked cars. Advertisement But the presence of smoke in the atmosphere also changes the colours in the sky - according to Météo France the smoke particles scatter short wavelengths, such as blue, allowing red and orange tones to predominate. The below post from Météo France illustrates the daytime 'orange skies' over Tourmalet in the French Pyrenees. Spectaculaire ciel orange ce matin secteur Tourmalet et ailleurs avec les fumées des incendies Espagnols et Portugais en altitude — Météo Pyrénées (@Meteo_Pyrenees) August 17, 2025 The map shows the route that the smoke plume took over France on Sunday. Ce matin, le panache de fumées qui remonte des incendies Ibériques est particulièrement épais (en lumière rasante, au lever du soleil). Il y a également de la poussière du Sahara. — Guillaume Séchet (@Meteovilles) August 17, 2025 France has sent firefighting planes to assist in Spain as firefighters battle to contain the blazes. France experienced its worst wildfire since 1947 earlier this month when a blaze in southern France, between Carcassonne and Narbonne, consumed more than 16,000 hectares of countryside. The fire is now under control and largely extinguished, but on Monday the whole of the French Mediterranean coastline remains on orange alert, the second-highest alert level, for wildfire risk. Wildfire risk map for Monday, August 18 from Meteo France
