See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy SOPHIA STANFORD, NEWS REPORTER Published: 23:13 BST, 2 July 2026 | Updated: 01:43 BST, 3 July 2026
Nearly 3,000 people have been evacuated in southern France with water–bombing planes deployed to battle wildfires after a record–breaking heatwave last month.Tourists and local residents had to be moved after a wildfire broke out in the town of Sainte–Marie–la–Mer and spread to Canet–en–Roussillon on Thursday.About half of all the evacuees came from three campsites in the area, where the fire originally started, with dozens of mobile homes destroyed by the blaze.It then spread to the marina area, where thick, toxic smoke blanketed the boats, while 1,200 firefighters tackled the spreading flames since Wednesday. 'Weather conditions remain particularly unfavorable,' Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on X, with wind gusts reaching 70 kilometres per hour and continuing to strengthen.France has also just experienced a record–breaking heatwave which lasted 11 days and saw temperatures climb above 40C in many places.Apart from having 'major impacts' on human health, ecosystems, agriculture, and infrastructure, the extraordinary heatwave worsened the risk of wildfires, the World Meteorological Organisation said last week.The Meteo–France weather agency said a new spell of rocketing temperatures would hit the country next week - potentially peaking at a scorching 44C - although they are not expected to be as extreme as in June.Nearly 3,000 people have been evacuated in southern France with aircrafts deployed to drop water and retardant over raging wildfires 7,000 wildfires have been recorded since the start of the season, with 8,700 hectares already destroyed by the flames Hundreds of firefighters are battling wildfires in the south that are being fueled by wind, drought, and heat Firefighters said nearly 3,000 people were evacuated with half of them from three campsites in the affected areaFrench Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said that 'climatic events' had contributed to 'fairly severe' and unusually early forest fires.'We must acknowledge that they are occurring roughly 15 days to three weeks earlier than the usual periods,' he said at a crisis meeting in the southern city of Marseille.He said that 7,000 wildfires had been recorded since the start of the season, with 8,700 hectares already destroyed by the flames.The intensity and early onset of the fires will require 'a great deal of endurance' from both authorities and firefighters, the prime minister added.The largest wildfire recorded, which broke out Wednesday in the departments of Aude and Herault, kept spreading, fanned by the wind, having already scorched about 900 hectares.Two firefighters have suffered minor injuries, said Pierre Regnault de La Mothe, the top regional official for the southern department of Pyrenees–Orientales.'We are mobilising a large network of volunteers,' the prefect added, following the deployment of two hundred firefighters and four water–bombing aircraft to put out the blazes.Some French politicians have denounced what they call the authorities' inadequate measures to help France face rising temperatures, and the Greens on Thursday filed a no–confidence motion against the government. Earlier this week, it was revealed that the heatwave - which covered much of Europe - claimed more than 1,300 lives, with French morgues reaching full capacity. This heatwave is the most severe ever recorded in Europe, and would have been 'virtually impossible' this early in the summer without climate change, the World Weather Attribution group of scientists said. All-time temperature records have been broken in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, as well as for the month of June in the UK and in Switzerland.
