Firefighter killed ​while battling wildfire in the French Alps amid deadly heatwave

Firefighter killed while battling wildfire in the French Alps amid deadly heatwave Heatwaves in France and across western Europe in May and June have parched vast areas of land, making them particularly vulnerable to wildfires - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments A firefighter has died while battling a blaze in the Savoie region in the French Alps, the French interior minister said on Wednesday. Wildfires have raged across southern Europe since last week and in France have forced thousands to leave their homes. The European Commission has pre-positioned a record 777 firefighters from 14 European countries in high-risk areas across Cyprus, Greece, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. Heatwaves in France and across western Europe in May and June have parched vast areas of land, making them particularly vulnerable to wildfires this year. "It was with deep sadness that I learnt this morning of the death of a young volunteer firefighter from SDIS 73, aged 22, who died whilst on duty after spending part of the night fighting a forest fire in Savoie," Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on X. It comes as temperatures are forecast to once again hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in southwest France this week. Portugal and France activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism over the weekend due to wildfires burning simultaneously and scorching thousands of hectares. The Trevillach wildfire in France's Pyrenees-Orientales has burned 4,900 hectares (12,108 acres). Earlier this week a wildfire burning out of control in southern France forced the evacuation of over 10,000 people from two dozen small towns and villages near the Spanish border. The blaze has injured 16 people, including four firefighters, and scorched some 4,600 hectares (11,367 acres) in the foothills of the French Pyrenees, local prefect Pierre Regnault de la Mothe said in a post on X. The Trevillach blaze was burning near the third stage of the Tour de France, leading to its closure to the public on Monday to allow firefighters easy access to the area, according to Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme. The motorcade of vehicles that follows the race was also kept to a minimum, he said. The stage, which is 196 km (122 miles) long, began in the Spanish city of Granollers and ends in Les Angles, in the Pyrenees-Orientales region of France. Europe is warming at more than twice the global average, the World Meteorological Organization has said, making prolonged heat episodes increasingly likely. Temperatures are forecast to once again hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in southwest France this week, with Portugal and Spain also baking under another heatwave, but are unlikely to reach the record highs seen in June. On the Spanish side of the border, the fire ravaged 2,200 ha — 97% of them in the protected natural area of Les Gavarres — although regional authorities said over the weekend that it was stable and would be completely extinguished during the week. Police have arrested an employee of a company contracted by Catalonia's regional government who is suspected of having sparked the wildfire by using an angle grinder at the side of a road. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments