Wildfire forces mass evacuations in southern France

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - PARIS — ‌A fast-moving wildfire has forced around 10,000 people to evacuate from two dozen ​small towns and villages in France's southern Pyrénées-Orientales department near the Spanish border.

Firefighters battled the blaze from the ground and air as flames tore through forests near Ille-sur-Têtafter burning more than 1,500 hectares.

The fire has scorched some 4,600 hectares in the foothills of the French Pyrenees, local prefect Pierre Regnault de la Mothe said in a post on X.

“This morning ‌conditions are ‌deteriorating again,” Interior Minister Laurent ​Nunez ‌warned ⁠on French ​TV ⁠station TF1. “Today the battle resumes.”

Early summer heatwaves in France and across western Europe in May and June have scorched vast areas of land, making them particularly vulnerable to wildfires this year.

The Trevillach blaze is burning in the vicinity of the third stage ⁠of the Tour de France. Local ‌authorities have closed ‌the leg to the public to ​allow emergency services easy ‌access to the area. Although the race will ‌proceed, the motorcade of team vehicles that follows will now be kept to a minimum.

On the Spanish side of the border, the fire ravaged 2,200 hectares — 97 percent ‌of them in the protected natural area of Les Gavarres — but Catalan authorities ⁠said ⁠late on Saturday that it was stable and would be completely extinguished during the week.

Police have arrested an employee of a company contracted by Catalonia’s regional government who is suspected of having sparked the wildfire by using an angle grinder at the side of a road.

South of Catalonia, in the eastern Castellon province, 500 people were evacuated after a wildfire entered the Sierra de Espadan ​national park, home ​to a significant cork oak forest.

As several member states are fighting wildfires, the European Commission is swiftly mobilising assistance via the EU civil protection mechanism (UCPM). Over the weekend, Portugal and France have activated the UCPM due to devastating wildfires, with several of them active simultaneously and burning thousands of hectares.

The European Commission has mobilized 4 rescEU airplanes from Sweden and Cyprus, expected to arrive to the affected areas in France on Monday. Portugal activated the mechanism on July 3 and118 firefighters and 45 vehicles from Spain arrived on site a few hours after the activation. ThreerescEU firefighting aircraft from Italy and Spain were also deployed.

Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, said: "As Portugal and France face an extreme wildfire threat during this severe heatwave, every minute matters. I am proud to see the EU civil protection mechanism once again delivering swift support when it is needed most. Firefighting aircraft, ground teams and vehicles from Sweden, Cyprus, Italy and Spain are already helping emergency crews on the ground. In the face of these devastating fires, Europe stands together. We are united in our determination to protect lives, communities, livelihoods and our natural environment."

Through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, countries affected by wildfires can request operational assistance. The EU has also established rescEU, a strategic reserve of emergency capacities designed to provide additional support during large-scale crises.

Recognising the rising risks of wildfires with climate change, the Commission presented a new integrated approach to wildfire risk management in March 2026, which provides guidance on how to better prevent, prepare for, respond and recover from wildfires.