Nearly 40,000 hectares burned in France since start of 2026: Interior minister

Nearly 40,000 hectares (98,842 acres) of forest and vegetation have burned across France since the beginning of the year, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said Monday.

“Just under 40,000 hectares of forest or vegetation have burned in France since the beginning of the year,” Nunez told France Inter radio.

He said the area burned was significantly larger than the total recorded throughout last year and had also surpassed the figure registered at the same point in 2022, which he described as an exceptional wildfire season.

Authorities have arrested 111 people in connection with fires across the country, according to the minister.

“A large proportion of them have admitted to the acts,” Nunez said, adding that nine out of 10 fires were caused by human activity, either intentionally or accidentally.

Hundreds of firefighters were deployed Monday to tackle blazes, particularly in the southern Var region and Corsica.

Nunez warned that the wildfire threat would remain “fairly severe” across southeastern and southwestern France this week but said the country had sufficient resources to combat the fires.

France has an aerial firefighting fleet of nearly 70 aircraft, including 12 Canadair water bombers, eight Dash planes and 12 water-bombing helicopters. The fleet also includes six other firefighting aircraft and around 30 planes operated by departmental fire and rescue services.

The government has ordered four additional Canadair aircraft, with two expected to be delivered in 2028 and the other two in 2032, Nunez said.

His remarks came as hot weather and prolonged drought continued to fuel wildfires across several regions. French weather agency Meteo-France placed 27 departments at high risk of forest fires Monday.