France has vowed to show no leniency to arsonists as wildfires continue to rage across the country, with interior minister Laurent Nunez announcing that 184 people have been arrested on suspicion of arson. Among those arrested was a volunteer firefighter who admitted starting a blaze near Fontainebleau.
Government Response
Nunez said police would show 'total determination to identify every arsonist' contributing to the fires threatening the south-west city of Bordeaux. He wrote on X: 'No leniency toward those who endanger lives, expose our firefighters to risk, and destroy our heritage.'
French prime minister Sebastian Lecornu blamed more than 90% of fires this month on irresponsible behaviour, ranging from discarded cigarettes to barbecues. 'Not all these fires are accidents. Nine out of 10 fires are caused by human activity,' he said. 'Some are started deliberately. This is a crime punishable by 15 years of imprisonment.'
Scale of the Disaster
President Emmanuel Macron called for 'zero tolerance' for arsonists starting what he described as 'the worst fires since World War Two.' The fire near Bordeaux has burned through an area four times the size of Paris. Local mayor Manuel Martinez said: 'We are dealing with a raging fire that we are only now learning to understand. We are at war with an enemy. We need more firefighters - more resources.'
Other large fires have broken out in the Écrins massif in the French Alps and the south-east Var tourist region. At least 360,000 people, including thousands of British holidaymakers and second-home owners, have been evacuated across France and Spain as temperatures soar past 40C.
Climate and International Response
The fires are fuelled by intense heatwaves that have left forests tinder dry, leading to calls for stronger action against climate change. Another heatwave is expected in France, and experts fear fires could continue until November. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the emergency was 'making wildfires even more violent and heat waves more frequent.' A fire in Ávila, west of Madrid, has become Spain's largest on record, burning across 50,000 hectares.
Firefighter Javier García said 'this doesn't have a precedent' and the ferocity had forced his colleagues to prioritise evacuations and property protection. 'The evolution is alarming,' he added. EU spokesman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said firefighting planes and helicopters from member countries had been deployed to France and Spain, emphasising that 'no country can maintain alone all the resources that are needed to tackle every possible natural or other disaster and crisis.'
