Hundreds of firefighters battled wildfires across southern France on Sunday as a dangerous combination of extreme heat and strong winds raised the threat of new fires in the region.
A new blaze erupted overnight in a remote, hard-to-reach area of the Pyrenees-Orientales mountains, scorching 930 hectares and prompting the deployment of more than 580 firefighters, local authorities said in a social media statement.
Officials urged mayors in affected municipalities to bring residents from isolated farmsteads into town halls for safety. Several roads were closed in the region.
Meteo-France has warned of a heat wave combined with “sometimes strong winds” across Mediterranean regions, creating “high to very high” forest fire risk.
