Overview
- Météo‑France put Aude, Var, Pyrénées‑Orientales, Bouches‑du‑Rhône and Vaucluse on orange wildfire vigilance on Thursday because forecasts show hotter, drier and windier conditions.
- The fire season has started weeks early with multiple ignitions reported in recent days and Hérault authorities counting 14 separate fire starts over a short period.
- Local services responded to a major blaze near Pézenas with about 100 firefighters, four Canadair water‑bombers and a civil‑security helicopter to contain a fire that burned roughly five hectares and destroyed a shooting‑range stand.
- Prefectural measures are in force to limit human starts of fires, including the Var ban on any use of fire from June 1 to September 30, while officials stress roughly nine out of ten wildfires stem from human carelessness.
- Forecasters update vigilance daily and warn that continuing high temperatures and wind through the coming days could keep the risk elevated and put further pressure on suppression resources.