Thousands of residents have been forced to flee their homes as a massive wildfire continues to burn across southwestern France near the Spanish border.
Authorities said around 10,000 people were evacuated from about 24 towns and villages as the fast-moving blaze spread across nearly 4,600 hectares in the foothills of the French Pyrenees. Officials warned that strong winds are expected to worsen the fire and make firefighting efforts more difficult.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said conditions had deteriorated again, stressing that emergency crews were resuming an intense battle to contain the flames.
The wildfire comes after weeks of early summer heatwaves across France and much of western Europe, leaving vegetation dry and highly vulnerable to fires.
The blaze has also affected the Tour de France, with authorities closing public access to part of the third stage route to allow emergency services to operate safely. The race will continue, but the number of support vehicles accompanying the cyclists has been reduced.
Across the border in Spain's Catalonia region, firefighters have largely contained another wildfire that burned about 2,200 hectares, most of it within the protected Les Gavarres natural area. Police have arrested a worker suspected of accidentally starting the fire while using an angle grinder near a roadside.
In Spain's eastern Castellon province, about 500 people were also evacuated after another wildfire spread into the Sierra de Espadan Natural Park, home to one of the country's important cork oak forests.
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