26 million French on high alert due to heatwave

France placed more than a third of its population under a maximum climate alert on Sunday due to a severe heatwave that has raised fears of wildfires threatening the country.

About 26 million people were placed under a red alert, the highest warning level issued by Météo-France, with the alert expanded to cover 37 departments in metropolitan France, according to AFP calculations.

The country’s third major heatwave in two months is expected to last until mid-next week.

In this context, wildfires have increased significantly in recent days, most of them “due to human activity,” French President Emmanuel Macron reminded the public in a Sunday message, warning against any “negligence.”

Since the beginning of the year, fires have consumed more than 25,000 hectares, nearly double the total area burned during the same period in 2025, according to the civil security agency.

The tourism and events sector is being negatively affected: in Paris, the police chief canceled the traditional firefighter parties usually held at fire stations on July 13 and 14, as well as planned outdoor sports events or those in non-air-conditioned venues.

These harsh weather conditions also forced organizers of the Tour de France to shorten Sunday’s stage between Malmort and Ussel in the Corrèze department, in the Massif Central region, marking the first time such a measure has been taken due to extreme heat.

In Paris, the Eiffel Tower announced it would close at 4:00 p.m. (2:00 p.m. GMT) at the end of this week, instead of midnight (10:45 p.m. GMT), “due to expected high temperatures,” according to the management of the famous landmark on Saturday. This step was followed by two of the capital’s most famous museums, the Louvre and the Orsay.