Météo-France placed the departments of Vaucluse and Bouches-du-Rhône under its highest ‘vigilance rouge’ warning for forest-fire risk on Thursday, citing extremely dry vegetation and strong mistral winds. Six neighbouring departments remain on orange alert. Local prefectures have shut the Parc national des Calanques in Marseille and restricted access to several other massifs. Fire services have stationed 570 firefighters at 30 strategic points in Bouches-du-Rhône, with a further 500 on stand-by. Additional resources include two Canadair water-bombers based at Hyères and five contracted helicopters in the Var. Similar measures are in place in Vaucluse, where 54 firefighters and an aerial tanker are pre-positioned. The alert renews scrutiny of France’s aerial firefighting capacity. The country currently has 11 operational Canadair aircraft — most about 30 years old — and eight larger-capacity Dash planes that must land to refill. President Emmanuel Macron promised four extra aircraft in 2022, but two newly ordered Canadairs will not arrive before 2028, and a fleet-wide modernisation programme is only due to start next year.