France evacuates 10,000 as wildfires spread across Pyrenees near Spain

French authorities evacuated about 10,000 people from 24 towns and villages in the southwest near the Spanish border as wildfires expanded across the slopes of the Pyrenees. Officials say roughly 4,600 hectares have burned on the French side and warned that strong winds and drought-like conditions following spring heatwaves could further intensify the blazes. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez and regional prefect Pierre Renou de La Motte reported that firefighting crews remain engaged but expect conditions to deteriorate.

The fires affected the Tour de France route, with organizers closing areas to spectators and reducing support vehicles to permit emergency access while the race continued. On the Spanish side, some 2,200 hectares burned—mostly inside the Les Gavarres nature reserve—but Catalan authorities said that blaze is now largely under control and expected to be extinguished later this week. Forecasters also warned a new heatwave may push temperatures toward 40°C in parts of France, heightening the wildfire risk as reported by SANA