France prepares to break records as fires spread

ParisJuly 18 – France braced on Monday for what could become one of the hottest days ever in its history, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius in tourist coastal areas, while wildfires intensified in the west and south of the country.

“The peak of this heat wave is expected on Monday,” Météo-France said in a statement, forecasting temperatures between 40 and 42 degrees, and “higher in some local areas” across France’s western Atlantic coast.

“This day could become one of the hottest days ever in France,” said the French Meteorological Service, adding that temperatures could be in the unprecedented 40-degree range in the port of Breton in Brest in the northwest of the country.

During the day, a new national record for the average temperature throughout the day can be set, now 29.4 degrees, reached in the historical heat waves of 2003 and 2019.

Thick plumes of smoke can be seen from the famous beaches of the French Atlantic coast near the majestic Bella dunes, near Arcachon, where strong winds and high temperatures continued to ignite wildfires. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin sent three additional planes to the area to fight the fire.

The local state prefecture said in a message on social media on Monday morning that the fires in the area have spread over 14,000 hectares, adding that injuries have been reported.

On Sunday, France issued a red alert for several regions, the highest possible level, and called on the population to “exercise vigilance.”