In a dramatic overnight operation, authorities in southern France evacuated approximately 3,000 tourists from a campsite as a wildfire raged through the region.
Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control, one of three wildfires that have erupted in the area since Sunday.
The fire broke out early Monday in Canet-en-Roussillon, located in the Pyrénées-Orientales department, fueled by strong winds reaching speeds of 80 km/h (50 mph).
The flames destroyed a mobile home and damaged six others, according to an official statement from emergency services.
During the evacuation and rescue efforts, seven people sustained minor injuries, including four civilians, two firefighters, and a police officer.
The tourists were initially relocated to a municipal building, but most returned to the campsite by morning.
Elsewhere in the southern region of Occitanie, firefighters successfully contained a wildfire that began on Sunday afternoon in Frontignan.
The blaze ravaged approximately 350 hectares (865 acres) of pine forests. Jerome Bonnafoux, a spokesperson for the regional fire service, reported that although the fire is now under control, crews continue to work on extinguishing it due to lingering hot spots and the high risk of re-ignition.
Authorities described the Frontignan fire as the largest this season in the Hérault department and one of the biggest in France this year, following a June blaze that scorched 600 hectares (1,482 acres) in the Var region in the southeast.
Frontignan, a town with a population of 24,000, witnessed a large-scale firefighting operation on Sunday, involving 600 firefighters, with 300 to 350 still on the ground on Monday. Efforts included more than 150 water-dropping operations by fire-fighting aircraft.
On Sunday evening, 220 firefighters from Hérault were also deployed to battle another wildfire that has so far consumed 60 hectares (148 acres) of pine forests and continues to spread in Nissan-lez-Enserune. Local authorities evacuated residents from dozens of homes in Frontignan as the flames approached.
The region remains on high alert as dry conditions and strong winds continue to pose a significant fire risk.
