A massive forest fire in southern France forces dozens of residents to evacuate their homes
A massive forest fire broke out in southern France, forcing dozens of residents to evacuate their homes, while firefighting teams continued their efforts to control the fire, which strong winds and drought contributed to its spread.
The French emergency authorities reported that hundreds of firefighters are continuing to fight the fire in the regions of Erro and Aude, with the support of dedicated firefighting aircraft, due to the difficulty of reaching fire sites in rugged areas.
The Oud Regional Administration explained that the fire had destroyed about 800 hectares of land as of this evening, noting that it had been contained in some areas, without being fully controlled.
The authorities added that high temperatures, strong winds, and severe dryness of vegetation contributed to the acceleration of the spread of the fire, confirming the evacuation of a number of residents, while asking others to remain inside their homes to preserve their safety, bringing the number of those affected by the precautionary measures to about 200 people in the towns of Pozol-Minervois and Mayac.
Firefighting teams also announced the outbreak of two limited fires in the regions of Ragnac and Lançon Provence, near the city of Marseille, at a time when France is witnessing a severe heat wave, amid expectations that temperatures will continue to rise in the coming days.
