Forest fires: answers to the questions everyone is asking

Dial 112 (the European emergency number) or 18 (fire brigade). Deaf or hard-of-hearing people should use 114 via text message. Give as precise a location as possible, the size of the fire, the direction of the wind and what is at risk. You can then follow this up by reporting the fire on the Feux de Forêt app to alert local residents — but calling the emergency services must always come first.

Human activity: around 9 out of 10 fires are caused by humans — carelessness (cigarette ends, barbecues, building work, vehicles), infrastructure accidents or arson. Natural causes (lightning) account for only a small proportion. In a sense, this is good news: most fires are preventable.

A map published daily by Météo-France (during the fire season), which assesses the fire risk for the following day and the day after, department by department, on a four-level scale: green (low), yellow (moderate), orange (high), red (very high). It is based on vegetation dryness, temperature, air humidity and wind. Check it before undertaking any high-risk outdoor activities.

Yes, in the designated areas set out in the Forestry Code: if your building is situated within 200 metres of woodland, a forest, heathland or scrubland, you must clear the undergrowth within a 50-metre radius (or even 100 metres, subject to local regulations) and along your access routes. Penalties can amount to an administrative fine of up to €50 per square metre, and your insurance provider may apply an increased excess of €5,000 in the event of a claim.

No: in woods and forests, and within 200 metres of them, it is forbidden for anyone other than the landowner to carry or light a fire (Article L131-1 of the Forestry Code). At home, barbecuing is still permitted provided precautions are taken — unless a prefectural order prohibits it on days of high risk.

No, it is prohibited all year round, throughout France (Article L541-21-1 of the Environment Code): grass clippings, leaves and hedge trimmings must be taken to a recycling centre, composted or shredded. The fine is €450, and higher in the event of a repeat offence or if the fire gets out of control. There are rare exemptions for agricultural and forestry professionals, subject to prefectural authorisation.

Call 112 immediately and give your location, then move away at right angles to the direction of the wind, towards an open area (road, ploughed field, rocky ground) — never in front of the fire, never up a slope. Do not attempt to put out a fire that has already spread on your own.

If the authorities order an evacuation (via FR-Alert or door-to-door notices), leave immediately. Otherwise, a solidly built house, with the surrounding undergrowth cleared and the shutters closed, is the best shelter: the fire front will pass within a few minutes. The worst thing you can do is flee on foot or by car at the last minute: most victims of major fires are caught unawares whilst fleeing, in the smoke.

The national alert system, which has been in operation since 2022: in the event of a serious danger, you will receive a loud, piercing alert on your mobile phone (even in silent mode, depending on your settings), without needing to register in advance, as long as you are in the affected area. The message specifies the nature of the danger and the instructions to follow. You must read and follow it; do not silence it.

No — and there’s no need to: fire is an insurable risk covered by the fire cover under your comprehensive home insurance policy. You therefore do not need to wait for a natural disaster declaration: report the claim to your insurer within five working days. The CatNat scheme may, however, apply to mudslides occurring AFTER the fire, on exposed ground.

Yes. A cigarette butt remains red-hot for several minutes and reaches temperatures of 400 to 600 °C: if thrown onto dry vegetation – particularly from a car at the side of the road – it is enough to start a fire. It is one of the leading identified causes of accidental fires in France.

On days when the risk is high, prefectures issue orders closing off access to certain mountain ranges: fewer people in the forest means fewer fires starting and fewer people needing to be evacuated if a fire does break out. The decision to close an area is usually made late in the day the day before, depending on the weather conditions. Check your prefecture’s map (or our mountain access page) before setting off on any summer hike.

No. The national fleet (Canadair, Dash, water-bombing helicopters) is deployed according to operational priorities: lives at risk, homes, and the potential for the fire to spread. Many fires are extinguished using ground-based resources alone. This is why individual fire prevention measures — clearing brush, preparing your home — remain crucial: they do not depend on the availability of aircraft.

Yes, through three well-documented mechanisms: longer and more intense droughts that dry out the vegetation, a lengthening fire season (with an increasing number of spring and autumn fires), and a geographical expansion of the risk towards the north and west of the country — as illustrated by the fires in Brittany, Anjou and Gironde in 2022. The Forest Weather Service, incidentally, covers the whole of mainland France, not just the south.

Even in cases of mere negligence, the penalty is up to one year’s imprisonment and a fine of €15,000 (Article 322-5 of the Criminal Code), with much harsher penalties applicable in the event of injury or death. Added to this is civil liability (to compensate for damage, often through claims by insurers) and, in the case of arson, up to 15 years’ imprisonment and even longer where there are aggravating circumstances.