Wildfire in central France threatens KNDS site, posing explosion risk, officials say
Central France Wildfire Endangers Morthomiers and KNDS Munitions Site
Evacuations and Immediate Response
PARIS, July 8 (Reuters) - A wildfire in central France has endangered residents of the town of Morthomiers and threatens to reach a nearby industrial site where KNDS produces munitions, which would pose a risk for explosions and further fires, local officials said on Thursday.
KNDS confirmed the munitions production site was threatened by the wildfire and said the facility's 500 workers had been evacuated. In Morthomiers, about 100 of the town's 845 residents have been evacuated from the most endangered areas and are sheltering at the town hall, officials said.
Firefighting Efforts and Safety Measures
An internal firefighting team had been mobilised and deployed and night shift workers had been placed on standby, it said.
The prefect of Cher, an administrative department in central France, said in a post on X that the facility was closed to traffic and urged residents of the community near the site to shelter in place.
Wider Impact of Wildfires Across France and Europe
Wildfires have raged across southern Europe since last week and in France have forced thousands to leave their homes.
Heatwaves and Weather Conditions
Heatwaves in France and across western Europe in May and June have parched vast areas of land, making them particularly vulnerable to wildfires this year.
Temperatures are forecast to once again hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in southwest France this week.
Casualties and Damage
Firefighter Fatality in Savoie
Earlier on Wednesday, the French interior minister said a 22-year-old volunteer firefighter died while fighting a wildfire in the Savoie region in the French Alps.
Trevillach Wildfire in the Pyrenees-Orientales
And in the Pyrenees-Orientales, the Trevillach wildfire has burned 4,900 hectares (12,108 acres).
It did not advance overnight, the local prefect said on X, allowing residents of a dozen villages to return home. The blaze, however, is not fully contained.
European Response and Support
The European Commission has pre-positioned a record 777 firefighters from 14 European countries in high-risk areas across Cyprus, Greece, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal.
Portugal and France activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism over the weekend due to wildfires burning simultaneously and scorching thousands of hectares.
(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon, Hugo Lhomedet, Makini Brice and Florence Loeve; Editing by Barbara Lewis and David Gregorio)
