Heat Wave Triggers Forest Fires in France, Thousands of Acres Burned

JAKARTA - The forest fire that hit the Pyrenees-Orientales Department in southern France has burned 4,600 hectares of land and forced about 10,000 residents to evacuate.

Citing local authorities, BFMTV reported that the fire that broke out in the Commune of Trevillach has not been successfully controlled and continues to burn the forest area.

Five people were reported to have suffered minor injuries due to the fire. In addition, thousands of residents were evacuated throughout the night as a precautionary measure against the spread of the flames.

Power outages also occurred in a number of cities around the location of the fire. However, technicians from the Enedis electricity network operator have not been able to make repairs because the conditions on the ground are still dangerous.

French Minister of the Interior Laurent Nunez said he would visit the Pyrenees-Orientales on Monday afternoon. According to him, the risk of fire spreading is still high due to weather conditions.

"Today the extinguishing effort resumed. This morning the weather conditions worsened again," said Nunez.

According to him, France is facing a heavy forest fire season. Since the beginning of this season, more than 11,000 hectares of land have been burned, doubling from around 5,500 hectares in the same period last year.

Meanwhile, the Herault Department recorded more than 30 forest fires on Sunday, with some of them still reported to be still raging.

The French government designated seven departments in a red alert status due to the risk of very high forest fires on Monday. A total of 41 other departments are in an orange alert status due to the high potential for fires.