Visit our website:
http://www.france24.com
Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English
Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/France24_en
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Seen here from the sky, the 350 hectares of pine forest ravaged by flames in the coastal
00:06town of Fontignon.
00:09After breaking out Sunday afternoon, 600 firefighters were dispatched to the scene, but despite
00:14controlling the blaze, they couldn't save this house, where Sandra has lived for 11
00:19years.
00:20All my work, all my family photos, it's a disaster.
00:27Around half the firefighters are expected to stay in the area to work on the site should
00:31another blaze ensue.
00:33But it's not the only southern French region struck by wildfires.
00:38Further down the Mediterranean coast, in Quenez-en-Ruisson, a fire fanned by strong winds forced 3,000
00:44holidaymakers to evacuate a campsite in the middle of the night.
00:48In the morning, one owner came to see the damage, but this is all that's left of her
00:52mobile home.
00:53Though she wasn't present while the fire broke out, she was hosting two people who were luckily
00:57safe and sound.
01:00I wasn't worried about the house.
01:01I was thinking about the tenants.
01:03They're doing okay, so I feel reassured.
01:05Despite 11 minor injuries, 2,500 holidaymakers were able to return to the campsite.
01:11Some 20 kilometres away in Argelès-sur-Mer, the wildfire risk has been classed as extreme,
01:17so firefighters have been stationed in the most sensitive areas.
01:21We've got the recipe today for a fire to grow quickly, especially with the temperature,
01:25the water level and the drought, so we're here so we can intervene as fast as possible.
01:30According to the French Interior Minister, this season has seen fewer forest fires than
01:34last year, with around 4,000 hectares burnt since the season started compared to 12,000
01:39at the same time in 2023.