Climate change and increased human presence are enabling France’s forest fires

A tactical firefighter set fires to burn a plot of land as firefighters attempt to prevent the wild fire from spreading due to wind change, as they fight a forest fire near Louchats in Gironde, southwestern France on July 17, 2022. © AFP - THIBAUD MORITZ

Climate change and increased human habitation across France's dry, forested regions are stretching the limits of firefighters' current strategies.

In the 1970’s, fires killed 11 people and five volunteer firefighters in the southeast of France near Italy.

Nowadays, deaths due to fires are rare in this region.

Many people believe that is due to the “Mediterranean wildfire strategy”.

The strategy involves watching the countryside carefully at any time during risk periods as well using watchtowers, cameras and drones to detect the first sign of trouble.

It was adopted in the early 1990’s after wildfires decimated 110,000 hectares in the Provence region.

🇪🇸 Last year, Spain was the worst hit in Europe by forest fires.

🧑‍🚒 In the face of drought and global warming, Spain's government has decided to start its prevention plan a month and a half early.@Celine_Schmitt_, @armelleexposito and @SarahMorriseuro report on #FOCUS 👇 pic.twitter.com/cc6ZYUoe39

— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) July 6, 2023

The strategy is used in the forested mountainous area from France's border with Spain to the frontier with Italy.

Close surveillance

"The strategy is based on the 'under 10 minutes idea' that the sooner we catch a fire, the easier it is," said Julien Ruffault of the National Institute for Farming, Food and Environmental Research (INRAE).

One thousand volunteers work with forest rangers, the Forestry Commission (ONF) and regional fire departments patrolling in the mountainsides all summer.

Climate change impact

Since the adoption of the Mediterranean wildfire strategy, the area destroyed by the fires in this region dropped from 12,700 hectares in the 1990’s to 8,780 hectares by 2013-2022.

However, this progress is being threatened by the warming of the planet.

UN scientists say pollution from the continuing use of fossil fuels is making wildfires trickier to contain.

Despite this strategy and a prevention campaign, humans cause most of forest fires.

In August 2021, a blaze near Saint Tropez killed two people and forced 10,000 to evacuate.

In 2022 the severe droughts and blazes in other parts of France made the authorities vowed to extend the Mediterranean strategy to all of France.

(With newswires)