France wildfire update July 21: map shows new and continuing blazes

Wildfires continue to burn across the south of France today as red-level forest fire risk alerts are put in place.

Ongoing blazes include at Argentière-la-Bessée and Freissinières (Hautes-Alpes), Barèges (Hautes-Pyrénées), Brignoles (Var), Saint-Palais-de-Négrignac (Charente-Maritime), and Trégunc (Finistère).

Evacuations are taking place in Hautes-Alpes due to the fire, which has so far burned around 80 hectares and continues to spread.

A fire in Sables-d’Olonne (Vendée) yesterday was quickly put out but saw 2,000 people evacuated from campsites and homes due to the initial force of the blaze. A blaze in Nantes (Loire-Atlantique) was also put out before any major damage was caused.

A major fire in the Var that began on Sunday and burned around 200 hectares was declared 'fixé' on Monday evening, the prefecture announced.

It completely destroyed four houses - damaging a further 10 - and around 15 vehicles in the woodlands between Les Arcs and Taradeau, with around 100 buildings saved in the area by firefighters.

Two fires in Corte and Albertacce (Haute-Corse) are now contained (circonscrits) after impacting more than 500 hectacres between them. Hiking trails remain closed and seven shepherds - as well as 750 sheep - are confined to huts in the area to prevent injury. Burning for well over a week, both blazes started due to lightning strikes.

In recent weeks authorities have continually pointed out that the majority of fires in France start due to human activity. More than 110 arrests have been made in relation to blazes this summer, the Interior Ministry announced in an update on Monday (July 20).

More fires on the way? 

Firefighters are preparing for another busy day, with a number of fires signalled on Monday night and in the early hours of Tuesday.

You can see a map of active forest fires on the maps below, accurate to 08:00 on Tuesday morning.

Red indicates ongoing fires, orange fires that have been reported but not confirmed, and black fires that have recently been put out.

For live information about ongoing forest fires in France, visit the feuxdeforet.fr website and use the interactive map.

State forecaster Météo France has placed 31 departments on a heightened risk for forest fires, with five – Bouches-du-Rhône, Var, Vaucluse, Gard, and Aude – on the highest possible red-tier alert. 

This means the risk of blazes are at their highest, due to a combination of high temperatures (the south continues to face heatwave alerts), strong winds, and dried-out vegetation. 

Despite cooler weather in the west of France compared to last week, strong winds and dry shrubbery keeps risks high. 

On Wednesday (July 22), the risk drops considerably, with 18 on heightened alert but none at a red-level risk.

Note that the map only indicates the risk of fire, not the number of blazes in the area. Read more about the map in our article here.

Last week, French authorities confirmed that the country had already seen more damage from wildfires this summer than all of 2025 combined, despite the wildfire season lasting for several more weeks. 

More blazes are expected possible throughout the week.