Headlines in France in recent days have been dominated by a series of huge wildfires, with thousands of hectares burned, homes evacuated, and others left without power. With these dramatic events unfolding, many travelers are asking: is it still safe to holiday here? France is currently facing its worst wildfire season in years, and it is still only July. Nearly 40,000 hectares have burned across the country since the beginning of the year, which is "far more than was burned during the whole of last year," according to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez on July 20th. In response to the growing crisis, the British government has issued a warning about travel to France due to the ongoing fires.
While wildfires have been a regular occurrence in southern France for hundreds of years, increasingly severe heatwaves and droughts are making these fires much more common. For those interested, you can read also about whether heatwaves cause wildfires in France. This year, the wildfire season is starting earlier and is no longer confined to southern France; regions like Brittany and the greater Paris region have already suffered major fires this summer.
To manage these risks, France has a well-organized system of wildfire alerts in varying stages of seriousness. The first of these is the Météo des Forêts, which is the Météo France forest fire map. Over the summer, the French weather forecaster provides a daily update of the risk level for each French département, ranging from green (low risk) through to red (very high risk). Anyone staying in a département on an orange or red alert level is strongly advised to keep an eye on local media and monitor other alert systems. Local authorities in those areas may also impose extra restrictions, such as closing natural parks or forests to visitors or cancelling public events like fireworks displays.
For real-time tracking, the government-backed "Feux de Forêt" app provides live updates on ongoing fires. The app is updated regularly and shows where fires have broken out and what their status is, using terms like "à confirmer" (to be confirmed), "feu en cours" (fire in progress), and "éteint" (extinguished). Users can set their location on the app and elect to receive app notifications for their specific area.
Google Maps serves as another useful tool. Once a wildfire is confirmed, Google Maps shows the outlines of the affected areas, plus any road closures linked to the fire. While it is not updated as regularly as the Feux de Forêt app, it is a useful extra, especially for drivers in the affected area. Road closures can be spread over a wide area to help firefighting efforts or due to the effects of drifting smoke. Users can click on the red-and-white wildfire symbol on the map to get more details on the area affected.
For major emergencies, France utilizes a text alert system known as FR-Alert. This system is used for major incidents including terror attacks, chemical leaks, and, in some cases, wildfires. The emergency text message is sent to all mobile phones within the emergency zone, including foreign devices, unless you have specifically disabled FR-Alert notifications. The system makes a loud text alert sound, even if your phone is set to silent, and sends a text message with details of the emergency and instructions on what, if anything, you need to do. To learn more about this technology, you can read also about FR-Alert and how France's emergency text alert system works.
If you want to track the current situation, you can read also about maps of where all the wildfires and warnings in France are right now. If you are close to an area where a wildfire has been declared, you should keep a close eye on developments via the apps, local news, and the social media channels of the local préfecture and mairie. Most French local government offices have a Facebook page, though some also use X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram. It is also helpful to read also about French vocabulary to understand wildfire warnings and evacuations to ensure you understand local instructions.
Travelers in high-risk areas may want to pack a "go bag" containing crucial items like passports, documents, and vital medication, just in case they need to evacuate quickly. If an evacuation is required, you will receive a message via the FR-Alert system, or you will be told to evacuate by local officials, firefighters, or—if you are staying in a hotel or campsite—by staff members. If you are told to evacuate, then do it immediately. Deaths during wildfires are thankfully rare in France; the most recent death occurred in 2025, of an elderly lady who had declined to be evacuated. Do not pause to try and protect your property or pack a full suitcase, as winds can change and fires can spread very rapidly.
If you are told a road is closed due to a fire, do not try to drive down it, even if it seems a long way away from the blaze. Severe fires often cause road closures due to risk from either the fire or the smoke, while rail services may be suspended in fire zones. For example, during the fire in the Forest of Fontainebleau, south of Paris, one of the major motorways south of the capital was closed for several days, while high-speed TGV trains departing Paris were also halted. Additionally, a blaze close to Bordeaux airport on July 21st caused the cancellation of dozens of flights due to the risk from plumes of smoke near the runway.
Around 90 percent of wildfires in France are caused by human activities, many of them unintentional. During the summer, make sure to follow wildfire advice and avoid risky behavior like having BBQs in forests or open countryside. If you smoke, be sure to very carefully dispose of cigarette stubs. Littering can also cause wildfires—the sun can refract through glass to cause a spark—so make sure you take any rubbish home with you. Be careful when parking vehicles to ensure that a hot exhaust pipe or tailpipe is nowhere near parched vegetation, as this too can spark a fire. Finally, if you own property in France, make sure you follow the official advice on wildfire prevention, such as trimming vegetation, clearing waste ground, and having a supply of water ready for firefighting. Property owners can also read also about wildfire prevention and the legal obligations for French property owners.
