Wildfires raging across southern France forced the evacuation of more than 3,000 people from multiple coastal campsites on Thursday, July 2, 2026.
Emergency services ordered the immediate relocation of tourists and residents as strong winds pushed the flames toward populated harbor areas.
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The evacuations heavily impacted the communes of Canet-en-Roussillon and Sainte-Marie-la-Mer within the Pyrénées-Orientales department.
According to French media reports, French Prime Minister Lecornu has established and taken charge of a crisis management team to coordinate the emergency response.
Impact on Campsites and Infrastructure
The local government of Canet-en-Roussillon confirmed that the Le Brasilia and Homair-La Marina de Canet camping resorts were among the heavily impacted sites.
Nearby infrastructure suffered disruptions, with Perpignan airport canceling several flights due to the thick smoke plumes visible from miles away.
An eyewitness described the scene near the advancing flames to the French news website Actu as "apocalyptic" as emergency crews rushed to contain the blaze.
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Local authorities issued strict safety warnings to the public, advising everyone to avoid the beaches and stay out of the water so that rescue operations could proceed without interference.
"The rescue posts are temporarily closed to deploy all teams to fight the fire.
We strongly advise you not to swim," stated the municipality of Canet-en-Roussillon on social media.
Infrastructure Minister Laurent Nunen announced that 1,200 firefighters have been actively combating the flames since Wednesday.
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Heavy firefighting equipment, including water-bombing aircraft, continues to operate across the region, where separate blazes in the Hérault and Aude departments have already consumed at least 1,000 hectares of land.
