France Issues Heat Alerts as Temperatures Set to Hit 40C; Wildfires Force Evacuations

According to Lianhe Zaobao citing Xinhua and BFM TV, France’s weather service on July 5 placed 16 departments—mainly in the southwest and south—under an orange heat alert as a new heat wave is expected to push temperatures back toward 40 degrees Celsius. Forecasts said much of southwestern France could reach 36C to 39C on July 6, parts of Languedoc-Roussillon could hit 40C, and Paris could rise to 33C to 36C, with some areas possibly reaching 41C in coming days. BFM TV reported the heat wave could last until July 15, though the weather service said the intensity and spread remain uncertain while confirming temperatures are still well above seasonal averages. Wildfires in southwestern France remained severe, with a new blaze in the Eastern Pyrenees on July 4 evening; Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the burned area had reached 2,000 hectares. Authorities in Pyrénées-Orientales ordered evacuations in some towns affecting more than 10,000 people, and about 700 firefighters were deployed near Perpignan to battle the fires.