Wildfires Burn Through France Amid Record Heatwave

June 29, 2019

Hundreds of firefighters continue to battle wildfires in the south of France, and more than 20 first responders have suffered heat stroke as temperatures climb above 100 degrees.

Source dpa, Hamburg, Germany

Hundreds of firefighters battle wildfires and record-breaking temperatures in the south of France.

STRASBOURG, FRANCE—Wildfires have burned several houses and hundreds of hectares of land in the south of France as the country struggles with a record-breaking heatwave.

The fires are burning in the southern Gard department, a region that has seen little rain and where temperatures have hit 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).

French media reported on Saturday that fires have damaged or completely destroyed 10 buildings in Gard.

More than 550 hectares of land have burned, radio station France Bleu reported, and 15 firefighters and six police officers have suffered heat stroke during operations to contain the flames.

The village of Gallargues-le-Montueux registered France's highest-ever temperature, 45.9 degrees (114.6 degrees Fahrenheit), on Friday. Some 700 firefighters were battling a large blaze about 30 kilometres from there on Saturday.

The high temperature for the region was expected to be in the mid-30s (mid-80s Fahrenheit) at the weekend.

In the municipality of Quissac, French media reported that a man had been detained after he was suspected of starting several small fires.

The alleged arsonist was already known to authorities for committing similar acts. The man has been taken to a psychiatric hospital and prosecutors have opened an investigation, television station Franceinfo reported.

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