France is grappling with an intense heatwave and widespread wildfires, prompting Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to convene an interministerial crisis cell on 10 July. Nine western departments are under red alert for extreme heat, with 76 on orange, as the surge is expected to persist until at least 14 July.
More than 7,800 hectares have burned since early July. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said over 325 fires were recorded on 8 July alone. A volunteer firefighter died in Savoie, where thousands remain isolated in mountain villages, and blazes in the Pyrénées-Orientales and Drôme have each consumed thousands of hectares. Météo-France has described the fire situation as unprecedented.
June was the hottest on record in western Europe, according to Copernicus. Southern towns including Canet-en-Roussillon and Sète set absolute temperature records on 7 July.