In the foothills of the French Pyrenees, a wildfire in Trévillach near Perpignan has burned more than 4,600 hectares, forcing the evacuation of over 10,000 residents from dozens of towns and villages.

The blaze, which swirled with strong winds, approached within 300 metres of homes and has tested France’s firefighting resources amid a summer heatwave that has already scorched large parts of Europe.

The European Commission announced that aircraft based in Cyprus and Sweden would be deployed to assist, and neighboring Spain has also suffered substantial forest loss.

French officials have urged spectators to stay away from the finale of the Tour de France’s third stage in Les Angles to allow emergency vehicles to reach affected areas.

Climatologists say the frequency and intensity of such wildfires increase as Europe heats up, and the recent peak of 42 °C last month caused thousands of excess deaths across the continent.