French authorities have evacuated more than 10,000 residents from about two dozen towns and villages near the Spanish border as a massive wildfire continues to burn across southwestern France.
Officials warned that strong winds expected on Monday could intensify the blaze, complicating efforts by emergency responders to contain the fire.
The European Union announced the deployment of four water-bombing aircraft from Cyprus and Sweden to support firefighting operations near the city of Perpignan.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe was standing with France as the country battled the fast-moving wildfire.
The fire has consumed about 4,600 hectares in the foothills of the French Pyrenees, according to local prefect Pierre Regnault de la Mothe.
France’s Interior Minister, Laurent Nunez, warned that conditions had deteriorated, signalling a renewed challenge for firefighters seeking to contain the blaze.
The wildfire near Trevillach has injured five people, including a firefighter, and is burning close to the route of the third stage of the Tour de France.
Authorities have closed public access to the affected section of the race route to allow emergency crews to operate freely, although organisers said the race would continue with a reduced convoy of team vehicles.
The wildfire follows early summer heatwaves across France and much of western Europe, which have left large areas of dry vegetation vulnerable to fire outbreaks.
Across the border in Spain, the wildfire has destroyed about 2,200 hectares, with 97 per cent of the affected area located within the protected Les Gavarres natural area.
Catalan officials said the fire had been stabilised and was expected to be fully extinguished later this week.
Police arrested an employee of a contractor working for Catalonia’s regional government on suspicion of accidentally starting the wildfire while operating an angle grinder beside a road.
Further south, in Spain’s Castellón province, about 500 people were evacuated after another wildfire spread into the Sierra de Espadán Natural Park, an area known for its extensive cork oak forests.
Reuters
