Wildfire in France’s Landes Burns 1,300 Hectares Amid Heatwave

Temperatures climbed to 40 degrees Celsius across parts of France on August 14, 2026, marking the peak of a severe third summer heatwave that has triggered orange weather alerts in 83 departments and intensified a historic national drought, according to reports by El Universo and ABC Color. The extreme heat comes amid an ongoing battle against forest fires in the country’s southwest, where local authorities and emergency responders continue to tackle stubborn blazes.

The sweltering conditions crossed the symbolic 40-degree threshold in cities such as Tours and Carcassonne, while locations including Paris, Avignon, Chartres, and Amiens registered 39 degrees Celsius, as reported by El Universo. Meanwhile, Lyon, Beauvais, Toulouse, and Reims recorded temperatures reaching 38 degrees Celsius.

Météo-France placed 83 of the country’s 101 departments under orange heat warnings by Friday afternoon, excluding only a few areas near the Belgian border, the coasts of Brittany and Normandy, and the Pyrenees region, according to ABC Color. Meteorological services indicate that while cooler air is expected to arrive from the weekend onward in the western half of the nation, high temperatures will persist in the southeast into the early part of the following week.

Wildfires in the Landes Department

The intense heat and prolonged drought have exacerbated wildfire risks across the southwest. In the Landes department, a forest fire that started on Thursday afternoon in the municipality of Luglon advanced further on Friday, consuming 1,300 hectares by mid-afternoon compared to 1,100 hectares recorded earlier in the morning, according to local prefect Gilles Clavreul. The fire zone lies roughly 60 kilometers south of Biscarrosse, an area previously impacted by a fire of thousands of hectares at the end of July.

Prefect Clavreul expressed cautious optimism during a media briefing, pointing to anticipated nighttime rain and dropping temperatures after days of maximums exceeding 35 degrees Celsius. Preventive evacuations in the department rose to 550 people as emergency crews worked to contain the spread.

International Aerial Support

Operations in the Landes region received a significant boost with the deployment of an Australian-leased Chinook CH-470D helicopter, marking the aircraft’s first operational use in France. The heavy-lift helicopter arrived Friday morning and is capable of carrying thousands of liters of water—double the capacity of a standard Canadair waterbomber—and can reload within minutes. Landes fire service commander Colonel Arnaud Fabre described the arrival of the aircraft as a real asset for local crews.

Further north in the neighboring Gironde department, memories remain fresh of the summer’s largest recorded wildfire, which scorched a vast expanse of hectares around the Arcachon bay area extending toward the outskirts of Bordeaux.

Forecast and Drought Outlook

Meteorological projections from Météo-France show that while western regions will experience a gradual temperature drop heading into Sunday, towns near the Mediterranean coast such as Montpellier and Montélimar will continue to touch or exceed 35 degrees Celsius amid incoming storm fronts.

At the same time, short- and medium-term forecasts offer little relief for a historic drought gripping nearly the entire French territory, as no significant rainfall is anticipated to replenish depleted water reserves.

Official updates and weather advisories continue through Météo-France and local prefecture channels. Readers are encouraged to share their thoughts or experiences in the comments below.