PARIS – “The forest fires of exceptional dimensions currently burning in the eastern Pyrenees require the massive deployment of our fire service’s forest firefighting resources, as well as those of the internal security forces and all government agencies,” Pierre Regnault de La Mothe, the top regional official for the southern department of Pyrénées-Orientales, said.
According to local media, the evacuations were carried out in a mountainous area west of Perpignan after the blaze scorched about 1,650 hectares of land.
France’s national meteorological service issued its highest-level red alert for wildfire risk in seven regions of southeastern France, warning that another 41 regions face an elevated threat of forest fires.
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The wildfire comes after France endured a heatwave lasting about 10 days, during which several areas recorded exceptionally high temperatures.
