Wildfire in southern France forces evacuation of 10,000 people

A wildfire has forced the evacuation of thousands of people in southern France as the country grapples with the impacts of an early summer heatwave that scorched much of Europe.

More than 10,000 people have been ordered to leave more than a dozen small towns and villages in the foothills of the French Pyrenees, near the border with Spain.

The fire, located in Trvillach near Perpignan, has burned at least 4,600 hectares (11,366 acres), local prefect Pierre Regnault de la Mothe said in a post on X.

"This morning conditions are deteriorating again," Interior Minister Laurent Nunez cautioned on French TV station TF1. "Today the battle resumes."

Authorities have warned that strong winds could further fan the wildfire.

"It came within 300 metres (984ft) of the houses. We were shocked by how fast it spread, it was staggering bordering on panic," Patrice, from Trvillach, told the AFP news agency.

Tour de France spectators have been urged to stay away from the conclusion of the third stage of the cycling race on Monday to allow access for emergency vehicles to the area.

The third stage, which is 195.9km (121 miles) long, begins in the Spanish city of Granollers and concludes in Les Angles, located in the Pyrnes-Orientales region of France.

Tour organisers have asked fans and unessential personnel to stay away from the final 40km and said that a motorcade of team vehicles that follows will now be kept to a minimum.

"An exceptional fire calls for exceptional measures for the Tour," said race director Christian Prudhomme. "We invite the public not to come to the edge of the race or to the finish site."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU would send four aircraft based in Cyprus and Sweden to help with emergency efforts.

The fires have also affected neighbouring Spain where more than 2,200 hectares in the natural reserve of Les Gavarres have been destroyed.

Catalan authorities said late on Saturday that the blaze was stable and would be completely extinguished during the week, according to Reuters.

South of Catalonia, in the eastern Castellon province, 500 people were evacuated after a wildfire entered the Sierra de Espadan national park.

Temperatures could once again reach 40C in south-west France this week and have already exceeded 40C in parts of Portugal and Spain.

"Although this heatwave is unlikely to break records in the way June's did, it will still be exceptional for the time of year," said BBC Weather Lead Forecaster Matt Taylor.

"With the heat expected to persist into next week and little widespread rain forecast, the risk of further wildfires will remain elevated."

During June's record-breaking heatwave, which saw temperatures of 42C in some areas, France saw its hottest day ever on average country-wide on 24 June.

At least 2,025 excess deaths were recorded in France, 1,222 in Belgium and about 480 in the Netherlands during the heatwave.

Climate change is driving up temperatures around the world - but particularly in Europe. It is the fastest warming continent, heating up twice as fast as the global average, according to the Copernicus climate service.

This is causing increased summer heatwaves, greater pressure on Europe's water supply, and more intense wildfires.