2022, a record year in France

In 2022, fires have never been so numerous in France. “The Gironde is the department most affected by fires since the beginning of this summer”explains journalist Pauline Forgue, Tuesday August 9, on the 11 p.m. set of franceinfo. “Several areas are concerned, in particular the south of France, which is more accustomed to experiencing this type of phenomenon every year, but also areas that have been relatively spared until now, such as in Brittany”continues the journalist.

2022 is a record year, with 256 fire starts and 50,599 hectares of vegetation burned since last January. “We are on areas much larger than the average year which is around 15,000 hectares”notes Jean-Louis Pestour, national fire manager at the ONF (National Forestry Office). “The number of fires has also doubled compared to an average year, so we are very worried about the future”he warns.