Wildfire in southwestern France forces 10,000 to evacuate near Spain

A wildfire in southwestern France forced about 10,000 people out of two dozen small towns and villages near the Spanish border as strong winds threatened to drive the flames farther into the French Pyrenees. The blaze was burning in Pyrénées-Orientales, in the foothills near Ille-sur-Têt and Perpignan.

By Monday morning, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said conditions were worsening again. "This morning conditions are deteriorating again," he told TF1. "Today the battle resumes." Local prefect Pierre Regnault de la Mothe said in a post on X that the fire had already scorched about 4,600 hectares in the Aspres region.

The fire began Saturday evening in the commune of Trévillach, around 7:30 p.m., and quickly reached nearby settlements including Montalba-le-Château, Térarrach, Rodès and Bouleternère. Nearly 700 firefighters remained mobilized as crews tried to hold the line in terrain where shifting wind can carry embers across valleys and toward scattered homes. One resident of Trévillach said the flames came within 300 metres of houses and spread so quickly that panic set in.

At least one firefighter and one resident were injured. The burned area rose from about 1,500 hectares to 4,600 hectares in roughly a day. Local authorities moved residents out of harm’s way while trying to keep the fire from reaching more homes, roads and infrastructure.

The fire came as southern Europe was already under pressure from a summer heatwave, with fire risk elevated across parts of France and neighboring countries. France was in its third heatwave of the season, and Météo-France had placed several southern departments at very high fire risk.