Over 750 Firefighters Put On Standby In Southern French Department Due To Heat

More than 750 firefighters have been put on a standby in the southern French department of Bouches-du-Rhone after the maximum red risk level for wildfires was declared due to severe heat, French broadcaster BFMTV reported.

Some 15 firefighting airplanes have also been prepared for deployment in case of fires, the report said.

The red alert was issued for the second time in two weeks, and authorities have imposed several restrictions, such as a ban on barbecues in the forest, the broadcaster reported. In addition, the department has closed several regional parks and introduced a fine for violating the restrictions, which will be 135 Euros ($148), according to the report.

According to data from the Meteo des Forets tracking service, as of Saturday, a red risk level was declared in the departments of Bouches-du-Rhone and Var, with a medium orange level assigned to three other southern departments.

• Firefighters said they evacuated more than 130 people as they fought Saturday to control a wildfire at Portbou on the Spanish border with France on the Mediterranean coast.

Firefighters from Spain's northeastern region of Catalonia teamed up with French colleagues as the blaze ravaged some 435 hectares (1,100 acres) of land, with an estimated 2,500 hectares threatened.

Local people were evacuated overnight from several villages as a precaution hours after the fire was declared to the south of Portbou, whose railway station connects Spain with France.