Southern Europe Wildfires: 12,000 Evacuated, Tour De France Route Restricted As Blaze Ravage France

A Europe Wildfire crisis is intensifying amid severe drought and extreme temperatures, with thousands forced to leave their homes as firefighters battle major blazes in southern France.

Thousands of people have been forced from their homes as wildfires tear through southern France, with severe drought and extreme heat creating dangerous fire conditions across large parts of Europe. Hundreds of firefighters are trying to contain multiple blazes, including a major fire in the Pyrénées-Orientales near the Spanish border that has already burned 4,936 hectares, or more than 12,000 acres. Homes and vehicles have been destroyed, while footage from the region shows wide stretches of forest reduced to blackened ground.

At least 12,000 people were evacuated from 27 municipalities across the Pyrénées-Orientales as the fire spread, according to French authorities. Some residents have since been allowed to return as the flames eased in certain areas, but Vinça, a town of about 2,200 people, remained evacuated on Wednesday along with 11 other villages. The scale of the operation has forced authorities to deploy firefighters, aircraft and security personnel across the affected region.

The wildfire has also disrupted arrangements for the Tour de France, which began in Barcelona on Saturday. Race organisers banned spectators from lining parts of the route through the mountainous region, leaving the roads available to cyclists, support teams and emergency vehicles.

“The exceptionally large wildfire currently raging in the Pyrénées-Orientales is requiring a massive mobilisation of wildfire-fighting resources, internal security forces, and all government agencies,” organisers said. They added that protecting people, property and natural areas, while bringing the fire under control, remained the priority.

Around 450 firefighters are fighting the Pyrénées blaze from the ground and air. Another 170 gendarmes have been sent to support the operation, while firefighting aircraft have repeatedly dropped retardant over burning terrain.

Conditions remain difficult. Temperatures in parts of southwestern France were forecast to reach 105 degrees Fahrenheit on Wednesday, while wind gusts of up to 30 mph have complicated containment work. Fire crews did, however, report one encouraging development: the blaze had not expanded overnight into Wednesday.

The European Union has also stepped in. Earlier this week, firefighting aircraft from Sweden and Cyprus were sent to France as authorities sought additional aerial capacity against the spreading fires.

The emergency extends beyond the Pyrénées. Most of France is under an “elevated” fire alert, with high to very high fire danger warnings in place across at least 54 departments, including Pyrénées-Orientales. The figure is unusually high; before the current outbreak, the largest number of French departments simultaneously placed under such warnings was 29 in 2025.

Fire danger warnings have also been issued across the Rhône Valley in southeastern France and in central and western parts of the country. Authorities expect the threat to remain high through the week because of the lack of rain, intense temperatures and low humidity.

The firefighting effort has already proved deadly. A 22-year-old firefighter was killed while battling a blaze in the Savoie region of the French Alps on Tuesday night, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Wednesday.

France’s fire season has also begun weeks earlier than usual after an extreme heatwave swept across Europe in June and returned this week. Scientists have said climate change is pushing record temperatures higher, while prolonged dry conditions have left vegetation increasingly vulnerable to ignition and rapid fire spread.