A wildfire burning out of control in southwestern France has forced the evacuation of 10,000 people from two dozen small towns and villages near the Spanish border. Officials said strong winds on Monday would further fan the blaze.
Firefighting Efforts
The fire has scorched some 4,600 hectares in the foothills of the French Pyrenees, according to local prefect Pierre Regnault de la Mothe. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez warned on French TV station TF1 that conditions are deteriorating again.
Early summer heatwaves in France and across western Europe in May and June have made the land vulnerable to wildfires this year. The Trevillach blaze is burning in the vicinity of the third stage of the Tour de France, and local authorities have closed the leg to the public to allow emergency services easy access to the area.
On the Spanish side of the border, the fire ravaged 2,200 hectares, but Catalan authorities said late on Saturday that it was stable and would be completely extinguished during the week. Police have arrested an employee of a company contracted by Catalonia’s regional government who is suspected of having sparked the wildfire by using an angle grinder at the side of a road.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
