A massive wildfire forced the precautionary evacuation of more than 2,200 holidaymakers from campsites near the French Riviera on Tuesday, as a blistering heatwave placed much of the country’s south on high alert for further blazes.
More than 300 firefighters and rescue personnel were deployed to battle the flames, which broke out near the town of Fréjus in the Var department on July 1, the local prefecture said in a statement.
Authorities confirmed the fire had since been contained, though the operation to fully extinguish it continued, supported by 85 vehicles, three firefighting aircraft and four helicopters.
The evacuations, described as a safety measure, targeted campers as the inferno threatened wooded areas popular with summer tourists. The incident comes as six departments across southern France remain under an elevated risk of natural fires, with three others registering a high-level threat, officials added.
The scare follows a period of record-breaking heat. On June 24, the national meteorological service placed 72 departments under the highest, red-level warning due to extreme temperatures. Average daily highs hit a record 30 degrees Celsius, conditions which officials have linked to a spike in excess deaths across the country.
