Southern France Hit by Massive Forest Fire

JAKARTA - More than 1,000 hectares of land have been burned due to forest fires throughout the southern region of France, while hundreds of firefighters continue to fight to put out the fire, amid strong winds and dry conditions.

French news station BFMTV reported that the fire, which started in the commune of Pouzols-Minervois, in the Hérault region, before spreading to the neighboring department of Aude, had burned more than 800 hectares of land.

Although the fire could be extinguished on Thursday morning, firefighters still warned that several fire points were still active due to the continuous wind.

Authorities said there was no damage, but around 350 residents were evacuated as a preventive measure and several vineyards were partially damaged.

Two other major forest fires hit the northern region of Marseille in Bouches-du-Rhône.

Meanwhile, the fire in Rognac was extinguished Wednesday night (1/7) after burning about 50 hectares of land.

As a result, the house was evacuated; while two warehouses, a building belonging to a public works company, several vehicles, and additional buildings were damaged. There were no reports of injuries.

Near this area, firefighters are continuing to try to put out the fire in Lancon-Provence, where about 200 hectares of land are on fire.

The fire also disrupted transport, causing the temporary suspension of the TER regional train service between Marseille and Miramas, Thursday morning, after the fire approached the train track area.

Then, in other areas, forest fires also occurred in Frejus, Var, southeast France, which could be controlled on Wednesday night (1/7) after devouring vegetation and about 2,200 people from six campsites were evacuated.

French authorities have also set the highest red alert status in six Mediterranean regions due to the "very high" risk of forest fires.

Fire service spokesman Eric Brocardi warned that forest fires are now occurring earlier in the year.

"This is a reality, a certainty. Today we see it, it is a very complicated time for firefighters," Brocardi told RTL.

He also noted that the fires occurred before the peak of the summer holiday season, making it more difficult to mobilize volunteer firefighters.

The gusty winds of the Mistral and Tramontane, reaching 90 kilometers per hour in some areas of southern France, are making it more difficult to operate fire suppression operations.