More than 10,000 people evacuated in France due to wildfire

July 6 (UPI) -- Thousands of people are being evacuated Monday in southern France as a wildfire continues to spread in southern Europe.

Evacuation orders have been made for more than 10,000 people as fires in Trévillach have burned through more than 11,000 acres. People in more than a dozen small towns and villages are evacuating.

Strong wind conditions threaten to exacerbate the fires on Monday.

"This morning conditions are deteriorating again," Laurent Nunez, interior minister of France, said in an appearance on French television station TF1. "Today the battle resumes."

Seven hundred firefighters have been dispatched to attempt to contain the blaze on the foothills of the French Pyrenees. The wildfire has tripled in size since Sunday.

Across France, Spain, Portugal and Greece more than 49,000 acres have burned.

The wildfires have been ushered in by a heatwave that has gripped much of southern Europe. The region has experienced heatwaves in both May and June.

More than 1,200 firefighters have responded to wildfires in Portugal. They are utilizing about 400 vehicles and 15 aircraft to attempt to push back a fire that has been burning since Thursday.

Luis Neves, interior minister of Portugal, said the fire and weather conditions are a "powder keg."

In Greece, evacuation orders have been handed down for three suburbs in the city Thessaloniki in northern Greece. Two factories were caught in the flames, causing authorities to recommend evacuating or staying indoors due to toxic smoke.

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This story was originally published July 6, 2026 at 3:11 PM.