Overview
- Operators announced Saturday that the Eiffel Tower will close exceptionally at 16:00 with last admissions at 12:15 and restaurants stopping service at 13:30, while the Louvre and Musée d'Orsay moved to earlier last-admission cutoffs and said they will automatically refund affected tickets.
- Météo‑France put 24 departments under its highest heat alert, a measure that AFP calculated covers about 22.2 million people across the country.
- Health authorities say the prolonged heat season has driven a large rise in deaths, with official counts reporting more than 2,000 heat-related fatalities in June and hundreds in late May, and hospitals and emergency teams reporting severe strain.
- Hot, dry conditions have fuelled large wildfires that have burned more than 25,000 hectares this year and forced mass evacuations, including more than 10,000 people from parts of the Pyrénées‑Orientales.
- Local authorities have canceled or limited many Bastille Day events and the government faces criticism over preparedness, making the coming days critical as services cope with fire risk, crowded travel routes and sustained high temperatures.