France places 9 departments on red heat wave alert as wildfires continue

Nine French departments were placed under the highest-level red heat wave alert for Friday as extreme temperatures continued to fuel wildfire risks across the country, officials said Thursday.
The national weather service, Meteo-France, announced that the red alert would take effect at midday, covering Ille-et-Vilaine, Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire, Mayenne, Morbihan, Sarthe, Deux-Sevres, Vendee and Vienne, according to the BFMTV broadcaster.

Another 76 departments were placed under orange heat wave warnings.

Authorities warned that temperatures would remain exceptionally high during the weekend, with forecasts predicting up to 39C (102F) in Nantes on Saturday and around 42C in Mont-de-Marsan on Sunday.

Firefighters, meanwhile, continued efforts to control several wildfires across France.