Parts of southern France on maximum alert for forest fires

A forecast of strong winds and high temperatures has seen heightened forest fire warnings issued for parts of southern France.

Bouches-du-Rhône - which includes the southern city of Marseille - has been put on the highest red alert on Tuesday (July 25).

Nearby departments Vaucluse and Var are both on an orange alert for forest fires, the second highest level.

The ‘red, very high (très élevé)’ alert level is the highest available, and means that “weather conditions make the risk of forest and vegetation fires starting and spreading very high compared with normal summer levels”, Météo France said in its latest forest fire alert.

The forecaster said wind gusts could reach 70 km/h in southern France on Tuesday, with temperatures around 30C.

Read more: How does France's new wildfire risk forecast work? Where can I see it?

It added that 90% of forest fires are started as a result of human activity, such as carelessness and littering.

It advised people to:

• Never smoke in forest, wood, or dry vegetation areas
• Never throw cigarette butts in nature, or from cars to the roadside (and instead of dispose of them in designated cigarette ashtrays or bins, where you can be sure they are extinguished)
• Not have barbecues or fires close to any vegetation
• Not to carry out mechanical work close to dry grass or vegetation
• Clear your land of dry or built-up vegetation (this is called débroussaillement in France and is mandatory in some areas to reduce the risk of fire).

It comes as temperatures remain high across much of France, but have cooled considerably since highs of 40C and above in recent weeks. At the time of writing, heatwave (canicule) alerts have been dropped for the entire country except Corsica.

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