Thousands were evacuated from their homes across southern France yesterday (July 1) after a number of wildfires broke out and advanced close to properties.
Several departments remain on alert for more fires today (July 2).
A fire began in a peri-urban area of the town of Fréjus (Var) at around 16:00. Firefighters were rapidly deployed to evacuate more than 2,000 residents and holidaymakers at campsites. Others took shelter in nearby schools.
More than 300 firefighters as well as 85 vehicles and three Canadair anti-forest fire planes were deployed to tackle the blaze, which was put out by around 19:30. It burned around 30 hectares of land.
Residents were allowed back to their homes around 20:30, and holidaymakers staying in campsites close to the blaze were able to return and stay overnight. No injuries have been reported by the authorities.
“All the commune's resources have been mobilised alongside firefighters, law enforcement, and state services," said Fréjus mayor David Rachline following the blaze.
He urged residents to "exercise the utmost vigilance and strictly follow the authorities' instructions.”
Social media posts below show how close the blaze was to homes.
🔥 Cette journée était particulièrement redoutée. Un nouvel #incendie, actuellement hors de contrôle, progresse rapidement du côté de #Fréjus (83)! ⚠️
🚨Par mesure de sécurité, plusieurs maisons et campings ont été évacués, notamment Le Montourey, Gorges du Vent!
🔥 Gros #incendie ce mercredi 1er juillet 2026 à #Fréjus dans le #Var ! Les flammes circulent tout près des habitations et sont attisées par un vent à plus de 50 km/h. (photo Béa Giro) pic.twitter.com/jvSAGr8FRD
Further west, a blaze broke out in Hérault in the afternoon, quickly spreading across the departmental border to Aude.
It burned around 900 hectares of land before mostly being put out this morning, with 800 firefighters attending the blaze overnight.
Firefighters struggled to tackle the blaze due to the difficult terrain. There were no access roads, and bulldozers were called in to help clear paths to the most important areas.
In addition, the powerful Storm Nils that hit the area in February 2026 had flattened much of the vegetation, making it easier for the fire to spread as well as more difficult for firefighters to walk on the ground.
“The head of the fire is no longer advancing; however, there was wind all night, which picked up again and strengthened this morning,” said head firefighter of the Hérault department Jérôme Bonnafoux to FranceInfo.
“Nearly 800 firefighters remain mobilised… aerial reconnaissance flights will be carried out," he added, hoping that authorities will "extinguish the fire” today.
The blaze reached within 30km of the city of Narbonne (Aude) and is the first wildfire of this size in France this year.
“The danger level remains very high across the entire Aude department, with particular vigilance required along the coast," warns the Aude prefecture.
"All forest areas in the department are closed as of today,” it added.
Prefectures can close forest areas or temporarily halt construction or other works during periods of high forest fire risk – it is prudent to check prefecture websites or with your local mairie to see if this is the case in your area, if you are planning to visit these locations or to do DIY work.
Both the Aude and Hérault departments were on the highest alert level for forest fires yesterday on the Météo France wildfire risk map.
The Var and Bouches-du-Rhône were on the second-highest level of the state forecaster’s map.
The map, updated daily, gives the risk of wildfires in each department across France based on factors including wind speed, dryness of vegetation, temperatures, etc.
Today and tomorrow (July 2 and 3) the Pyrénées Orientales, Aude, Hérault, Gard, Bouches-du-Rhône and Vaucluse departments are all on the highest red-level alert.
The Mistral and Tramontane winds, two major factors in the spread of wildfires in the south, continue to blow strongly today across southern departments, and a lack of rain and the beginning of drought concerns means soils and vegetation are dry.
If you want to check if there are fires near you in real time, you can use Google Maps or one of several forest fire tools – our article here covers a number of these.
