Wildfires rage across Southern France amid record heat and dry weather

By  News On Air   Jul 02, 2026

Wildfires raged in the south of France today after weeks of dry weather and record temperatures across the country, devastating large swaths of land. The biggest fire spread in the Aude and Herault regions, where up to 800 firefighters and 150 vehicles were deployed to tackle the flames that ran over 2,200 acres. Further fires broke out in the neighbouring Marseille region, where two blazes were brought under control, but not yet extinguished. Alain Bucquet, the Aude prefect, said fire services will receive support from two additional water-bomber aircraft, bringing the total number of Canadair planes on the site to four. The Aude is regularly hit by wildfires, and firefighters last year contained France’s largest wildfire in decades in the region. High temperatures are expected in the coming days, and the drought is expected to last, with no rain forecast following the early heatwave in May and the one that gripped France at the end of June.