Amid widespread severe drought and sweltering temperatures, hundreds of firefighters are battling to contain multiple wildfires that have ignited in France, destroying homes and prompting thousands of evacuations, authorities said.The biggest wildfire is raging in the Pyrénées, prompting organizers of the famed Tour de France road cycling race, which started on Saturday in Barcelona, Spain, to ban spectators from lining the route in the mountainous region."The exceptionally large wildfire currently raging in the Pyrénées-Orientales is requiring a massive mobilization of wildfire-fighting resources, internal security forces, and all government agencies," race organizers said in a statement. "The top priority remains the protection of people, property, and natural areas, as well as bringing the fire under control."A wildfire rages on a hill in southern France, July 6, 2026.Gabriel Bouys/AFP via Getty ImagesRace organizers said only cyclists participating in the Tour de France and their supporting teams are authorized to travel the race route, which officials are trying to keep clear for emergency traffic.The blaze in southwestern France near the border of Spain has burned 4,500 hectares, or a little over 11,000 acres, according to French officials.A European heat wave continues, July 8, 2026, sending temperatures into triple digits across France and increasing fire danger.ABC NewsAt least 12,000 people had been evacuated from 26 municipalities across the Pyrénées-Orientales, although some have been allowed to return home as flames have subsided in some areas, authorities said.The Pyrénées town of Vinça, which has a population of about 2,200, remained evacuated on Wednesday along with 12 other villages in the region.A Dash Q400-MRE Fireguard aircraft of the civil security drops fire retardant over a wildfire raging in southern France's Pyrenees region, July 6, 2026.Jean-christophe Milhet/AFP via Getty ImagesVideo from the region showed homes and vehicles burned, and huge swaths of forestland blackened. Firefighting aircraft were also filmed swooping down on burning areas, dropping fire retardant.Earlier this week, the European Union announced it was sending such aircraft to France from Sweden and Cyprus.More than 800 firefighters are fighting flames in the Pyrénées from the ground and the air, but are struggling to gain control of the wildfire amid triple-digit temperatures in the area, officials said.Firefighters appeared to make progress in battling the fire, reporting Wednesday morning that the conflagration did not expand overnight.A view of the damage caused by a major wildfire burning in the eastern French Pyrenees near Vinca, France, July 06, 2026.Anadolu via Getty ImagesTemperatures in parts of southwestern France are forecast to reach 105 degrees on Wednesday, with temperatures climbing to 95 degrees and above across three-quarters of the country.Popular ReadsMost of the country is under an "elevated" fire alert.High to very high fire danger warnings remained in effect on Wednesday in at least 54 departments -- or local regional areas, including the Pyrénées-Orientales department, officials said.A firefighter douses hot spots, July 7, 2026, amid a wildfire raging in southern France west of Perpignan.Lionel Bonaventure/AFP via Getty ImagesBefore the current wildfire outbreak, the highest number of departments under high or very high fire danger warnings at the same time was 29 in 2025, authorities noted.Officials and experts have noted the fire season has begun weeks earlier than usual in France amid the unseasonal extreme heat wave that hit Europe in June. The heat wave has returned this week.Scientists have said the record temperatures are being pushed up by climate change.A 22-year-old firefighter was killed while battling a blaze in the Savoie region in the French Alps on Tuesday night, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said in a social media post on Wednesday.Fire danger warnings have also been issued in the Rhône Valley in southeast France, and across the central and western regions of the country.The danger is expected to remain at a high level through this week across most of the country, given the lack of rain, scorching temperature and low humidity, authorities said.