Early wildfires across southern France have severely strained emergency services as multiple departments face high fire risks following an exceptional heatwave, authorities announced on Thursday, July 2, 2026.
The Haute-Garonne department was placed under an orange high-risk alert on Thursday as temperatures are expected to climb back up to 37°C by Monday, July 6, following a massive fire that scorched nearly 800 hectares in the neighboring Aude department.
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Meanwhile, the Alpes-Maritimes department faced a severe wildfire risk level for the first time this year, leading to the closure of the Estérel massif.
Wildfires occurring earlier in the season put "in difficulty and under strain the operational response," stated Eric Brocardi, spokesperson for the National Federation of Professional Firefighters.
According to Brocardi, reaching such a severe risk level so early in the summer serves as an alarming indicator for emergency preparedness.
"It is an extremely worrying signal," he said.
The spokesperson noted that rising temperatures and an increase in medical emergency calls are creating unprecedented operational pressure.
"Faced with rising temperatures, faced with these increasingly significant risks of forest fires, faced with an increase in operational tension linked to emergency relief missions to people, it is obvious that this puts a strain on the availability of volunteer firefighters as well as professional firefighters," Brocardi said.
Human Resources Under Pressure
Although local councils have heavily invested in purchasing new equipment, the federation maintains that human resources remain insufficient.
