https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from France in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed France and Germany sent firefighting units to the Netherlands on Friday to help battle woodland blazes flaring in several areas. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260501/france-sends-firefighters-to-help-battle-blazes-in-netherlands Fri, 01 May 2026 16:43:23 +0200 france-sends-firefighters-to-help-battle-blazes-in-netherlands Wildfires are common in the south of France in summer - but the forest fire risk zone is spreading while blazes are also starting earlier. This year the first forest fire was recorded in April. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260427/first-forest-fire-of-the-year-breaks-out-in-france Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:25:00 +0200 first-forest-fire-of-the-year-breaks-out-in-france Laws require many homeowners in the south of France to do compulsory works each year to help prevent the spread of wildfires - but as fires become more common, the laws have been expanded to cover properties in northern France, including Brittany. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260324/french-government-expands-obligatory-wildfire-prevention-work-for-homeowners Tue, 24 Mar 2026 15:26:38 +0100 french-government-expands-obligatory-wildfire-prevention-work-for-homeowners A French volunteer firefighter was sentenced to jail on Wednesday after being found guilty of starting seven fires in woodland areas near his home. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251211/french-volunteer-firefighter-jailed-for-starting-7-forest-fires Thu, 11 Dec 2025 10:02:21 +0100 french-volunteer-firefighter-jailed-for-starting-7-forest-fires If you have a garden you may already have a list of end-of-summer tasks - but the French government is reminding homeowners of one especially important seasonal job. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251023/the-garden-task-the-french-government-wants-homeowners-to-do-now Thu, 23 Oct 2025 18:04:47 +0200 the-garden-task-the-french-government-wants-homeowners-to-do-now A suspected arsonist has been arrested in south-east France after six separate forest fires were reported almost simultaneously near Nice. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250917/arson-suspect-held-after-six-forest-fires-started-on-same-day-in-south-east-france Wed, 17 Sep 2025 16:41:54 +0200 arson-suspect-held-after-six-forest-fires-started-on-same-day-in-south-east-france Organisers of a rave in a French region ravaged by wildfire in early August began dismantling their illegal set-up on Tuesday after tensions with locals still reeling from the disaster. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250902/illegal-rave-winds-down-in-french-fire-ravaged-region Tue, 02 Sep 2025 14:46:53 +0200 illegal-rave-winds-down-in-french-fire-ravaged-region Wildfires have so far ravaged more than one million hectares of land in European Union countries this year, a record since recording began in 2006, according to AFP analysis of official data. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250822/record-eu-wildfires-burnt-more-than-1mn-hectares-in-2025 Fri, 22 Aug 2025 10:56:46 +0200 record-eu-wildfires-burnt-more-than-1mn-hectares-in-2025 After a severe wildfire burned thousands of hectares in southern France last week, fire hit the south-west département of Charente on Monday afternoon. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250812/wildfire-burns-over-200-hectares-in-charente Tue, 12 Aug 2025 12:03:35 +0200 wildfire-burns-over-200-hectares-in-charente Firefighters tackling a massive wildfire in southern France face a "challenging day" with officials warning on Sunday that scorching heat and dry winds could reignite the blaze. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250810/challenging-day-for-firefighters-battling-huge-blaze-in-france Sun, 10 Aug 2025 20:39:55 +0200 challenging-day-for-firefighters-battling-huge-blaze-in-france French firefighters said Saturday that the country's biggest wildfire in at least half a century was contained but would not be brought under control before Sunday evening. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250808/frances-huge-wildfire-will-burn-for-days Fri, 08 Aug 2025 10:43:50 +0200 frances-huge-wildfire-will-burn-for-days France's largest recorded wildfire since 1949 has left a trail of destruction with homes and vehicles burned and vineyards left charred and destroyed. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250808/in-pictures-devastation-wreaked-by-frances-biggest-wildfire-in-70-years Fri, 08 Aug 2025 12:23:55 +0200 in-pictures-devastation-wreaked-by-frances-biggest-wildfire-in-70-years One woman has died, thousands were evacuated and at least 13 injured in a massive wildfire in southern France - here's the latest on the massive wildfire, which continues to burn despite being declared under control. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250806/evacuation-road-closures-and-injuries-latest-on-the-fatal-wildfire-in-southern-france Wed, 06 Aug 2025 11:36:27 +0200 evacuation-road-closures-and-injuries-latest-on-the-fatal-wildfire-in-southern-france A woman has died and nine people have been injured in a wildfire in southern France that has burned 15,000 hectares, making it the biggest wildfire seen in the country in 20 years. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250806/one-dead-and-nine-injured-in-massive-wildfire-in-southern-france Wed, 06 Aug 2025 10:27:13 +0200 one-dead-and-nine-injured-in-massive-wildfire-in-southern-france In south-west France, an enormous wildfire broke out on Tuesday and has already burned thousands of hectares, with hundreds of firefighters mobilised to battle the flames. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250806/in-pictures-massive-wildfire-burns-through-southern-france Wed, 06 Aug 2025 12:55:49 +0200 in-pictures-massive-wildfire-burns-through-southern-france With forest fires becoming more common and more extensive due to hot, dry summers, there are several apps, websites and alert systems that allow you to check the latest information in each part of France. https://www.thelocal.fr/20230418/how-to-check-the-forest-fire-risk-in-your-part-of-france Tue, 18 Apr 2023 14:34:50 +0200 how-to-check-the-forest-fire-risk-in-your-part-of-france A fire in the south of France that forced the evacuation of two campgrounds and local housing over the weekend has been brought under control but is still burning on Monday morning. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250727/french-fire-forces-evacuation-of-tourists-near-southern-beaches Sun, 27 Jul 2025 13:57:12 +0200 french-fire-forces-evacuation-of-tourists-near-southern-beaches More than 1,000 firefighters in the south of France are battling to control a wildfire that has burned more than 240 hectares of land, while emergency services tackle a separate blaze in Brittany. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250718/1500-firefighters-tackle-wildfires-in-south-and-west-of-france Fri, 18 Jul 2025 11:44:27 +0200 1500-firefighters-tackle-wildfires-in-south-and-west-of-france Wildfires are becoming increasingly severe in France and while the south of the country remains the most at-risk, the wildfire alert areas are also spreading. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250711/map-which-parts-of-france-suffer-the-most-wildfires Fri, 11 Jul 2025 17:52:42 +0200 map-which-parts-of-france-suffer-the-most-wildfires Two huge wildfires on Tuesday saw people evacuated in France's second-largest city while an airport, train line and several motorways were closed - so is France prepared to deal with its increasingly severe summer fires? https://www.thelocal.fr/20250709/is-france-ready-for-a-summer-of-increasingly-severe-wildfires Wed, 09 Jul 2025 13:30:52 +0200 is-france-ready-for-a-summer-of-increasingly-severe-wildfires