An Irish family has been evacuated from their campsite in southern France after wildfires, fuelled by strong winds, swept through parts of the country’s Mediterranean coast.
Michael Cleary and his family were forced to leave the Le Brasilia campsite in Canet-en-Roussillon, near the Spanish border.
In a post on X, Mr Cleary said their holiday cabin was destroyed by the fire, along with all of their belongings.
The family had only arrived at Carcassonne Airport yesterday morning to begin their holiday but have now returned to Dublin.
Mr Cleary also shared a video on X showing people evacuated on a nearby beach as plumes of smoke billow in the background.
In the social media post, Mr Cleary wrote: “Kids devastated but we’re OK. Scary hearing all the explosions (presumably gas cylinders) caused by the fire. The winds yesterday were very significant and really hampered the firefighters.”
Around 2,000 firefighters battled several wildfires across France’s Mediterranean coast yesterday as strong winds and tinder-dry conditions, following Europe’s recent heatwave, fuelled the blazes.
Local authorities said 1,500 people were evacuated from campsites in the area, while the nearby airport in Perpignan was forced to close.
Earlier in the day, firefighters brought two fires on the outskirts of Marseille, France’s second-largest city, under control but continued to battle a larger blaze in the Aude department.