Firefighters battle blazes scorching southern France after record heatwave
Key takeaways
- Hundreds of firefighters battled wildfires raging in southern France on Thursday after weeks of dry weather and record temperatures, with a further heatwave forecast to hit the country in the coming days.
- By: FRANCE 24 The devastation in Mailhac, in the southern Tarn region, on July 2, 2026.
- Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said three blazes, two of which broke out on the western edge of the Mediterranean port city of Marseille, had scorched a combined area of 1,210 hectares (2,990 acres).
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Hundreds of firefighters battled wildfires raging in southern France on Thursday after weeks of dry weather and record temperatures, with a further heatwave forecast to hit the country in the coming days.
By: FRANCE 24 The devastation in Mailhac, in the southern Tarn region, on July 2, 2026. © Lionel Bonaventure, AFP Firefighters were battling several wildfires fanned by strong winds in southern France on Thursday, as the country grappled with parched conditions following Europe's recent heatwave.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said three blazes, two of which broke out on the western edge of the Mediterranean port city of Marseille, had scorched a combined area of 1,210 hectares (2,990 acres).