politics
French Prime Minister Visits Marseille as Wildfires Start Two Weeks Early
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu toured a regional crisis center and chaired an interministerial committee on July 2. Officials reported 24 fires in one department the previous day and ongoing blazes threatening homes and campgrounds.
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French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu visited Marseille on July 2 to review preparations for wildfires and heatwaves. The visit included a tour of the regional crisis center for the Défense Sud zone and a meeting with local officials. Lecornu chaired an interministerial crisis committee via videoconference that included the interior, armed forces, and environment ministers.
The meeting took place outside Paris as part of the visit.
The day before the visit, 24 fires broke out in the Bouches-du-Rhône department amid strong winds. Two larger fires occurred in Lançon-de-Provence and Rognac. Farther west, nearly 800 firefighters and six Canadair planes worked on a fire that began near the border between the Hérault and Aude departments. Access to most forested areas in southeastern departments remained restricted on July 2.
Briefings at the Operations Center At the regional operations center, Lecornu received updates on three fires classified as severe. One fire near Opio had flared again and threatened homes. Another in Lançon-de-Provence had burned nearly 300 hectares.
A third fire near Canet-en-Roussillon required the evacuation of 3,000 people from three campgrounds. A fourth fire started in Roquemaure during the briefing.
