PARIS (AP) — Wildfires raged in the south of France on Thursday after weeks of dry weather and record temperatures across the country, devastating large swaths of land.
The biggest fire spread in the Aude and Herault regions, where up to 800 firefighters and 150 vehicles were deployed to tackle the flames that ran over 900 hectares (2,200 acres), local authorities said.
Further fires broke out in the neighboring Marseille region, where two blazes on Thursday were brought under control, but not yet extinguished.
Alain Bucquet, the Aude prefect, said fire services will receive support from two additional water-bomber aircraft, bringing the total number of Canadair planes on the site to four.
“The idea is to bring the fire under control quickly because temperatures are rising and the wind is growing stronger,” he told France Info channel.
The Aude is regularly hit by wildfires and firefighters last year contained France’s largest wildfire in decades in the region.
High temperatures are expected in the coming days and the drought is expected to last, with no rain forecast following the early heat wave in May and the one that gripped France at the end of June. Plants and vegetation are under severe water stress, which is encouraging the outbreak of fires, while strong winds are blowing across the Mediterranean region.
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