Severe Fire Risk Prompts Strict Preventive Measures in Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône faces very severe fire risk on July 11, prompting strict access bans in forested areas.
Key Points
- • Bouches-du-Rhône is the most fire-prone department in mainland France.
- • High temperatures, wind, and vegetation dryness contribute to fire risk.
- • A prefectural order prohibits access and work in forested areas on July 11, 2025.
- • Specific massifs affected include Alpilles, Calanques, and Sainte-Victoire.
On July 11, 2025, Bouches-du-Rhône has been classified as facing a very severe fire risk, prompting stringent measures to prevent potential fire outbreaks. This region, known as the most fire-prone department in mainland France, is battling extreme climatic conditions including high temperatures, strong winds, and intensely dry vegetation that escalate fire hazards.
A prefectural order has been enacted, imposing a total ban on entry, presence, and any work activities within all forested areas across the department on this critical day. The massifs particularly impacted by this decree include the Alpilles, Arbois, Calanques, and Sainte-Victoire.
These preventative measures also extend to the public, with real-time maps available on the prefecture's website. This allows residents and visitors to stay informed about the restrictions affecting the 90 municipalities within Bouches-du-Rhône, helping to mitigate the risks of accidental fire outbreaks, often sparked by seemingly harmless actions like dropping a cigarette butt.
The prefecture emphasizes that the heightened risk is due to a combination of unfavorably dry vegetation and extreme weather patterns that have created a significant threat of fire in the region. Local authorities are urging the public to adhere strictly to these restrictions, which were implemented as part of a broader preventive strategy introduced earlier this year in response to rising fire threats.