A French foreign minister has urged tourists not to cancel their travel plans despite unprecedented wildfires in the country’s south west.
Éléonore Caroit, the minister for international partnerships, said that although France was facing an “exceptionally intense” fire season, tourists should visit as long as they remain well-informed.
Massive forest fires have forced the evacuation of 200,000 people in south-western France and central Spain, including 141,000 in the Gironde and Landes departments in France.
Ms Caroit told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Saturday: “It’s more than an incident, it really is a tragedy, nearly 50,000 hectares have been burned this year. It’s significantly worse than last year and even 2022, which was the worst year we had had.
“You have entire areas that are fine, you’re seeing similar phenomena in Spain and other countries. I’m in Paris and nothing is happening, and most other regions are OK, so do please come to France and do not cancel your travel plans.
“But wherever you are, please do be advised as to what might be happening.”
Ms Caroit, who said the French army had been deployed to help tackle the wildfires which now number 32, also told the programme that France’s response was being bolstered by their European Union membership.
She said: “Being part of the European Union today makes every possible sense. We have activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism which is an extraordinary mechanism; solidarity is essential in the EU.
“Right now, we have had the confirmation that two water bombing carriers will come from Croatia, two water tractors from Portugal, two Black Hawk helicopters from Czech Republic and Slovakia.
“They’re helping us now as the situation is terrible; we’ve helped them in the past. It explains what it is to be in the EU.”
Ms Caroit urged world leaders to see the fires – which have killed two firefighters, injured 42 more and are confirmed to have destroyed around 100 homes so far – as a wake-up call for climate change.
She said: “[This is] something we’re seeing in many parts of the world. Remember the wildfires in California, Chile. The climate is changing, we’re having a terrible impact on it.
“While leaders in the world continue to say climate change doesn’t matter, we’re seeing the concrete effects everywhere. We have to take it seriously.
“[France has] invested millions but we’re seeing it’s not enough.”
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