France Faces Prolonged Heatwave and Early Wildfires as 7,800 Hectares Burn

Overview

• The heatwave has expanded to about 72 departments by Thursday with Météo‑France keeping large swaths of the country on orange alert and forecasting the episode could last at least until mid‑July.
• Roughly 7,800 hectares burned in the first eight days of July, with major active incidents in the Drôme and the Mediterranean fringe while some large fires in the Pyrénées‑Orientales and Indre have been contained or fixed.
• Authorities have ordered evacuations, mobilised hundreds of firefighters and used aerial water drops, and a 22‑year‑old volunteer firefighter was killed in Savoie during operations.
• Groundwater levels are worsening as the BRGM reported 54% of aquifers below normal on July 1, prompting growing water‑use restrictions and raising fire risk in dry forests and scrub.
• The heat and fires are already disrupting daily life through train cancellations, power and elevator failures, cancelled July 14 fireworks, and are likely to pressure emergency services if high temperatures and winds persist.