A fire that burned some 930 hectares in the eastern Pyrenees, along the French-Spansish border, on Sunday was brought under control during the night, firefighters announced on Monday.
"The blaze was brought under control at around 02:00 after covering 930 hectares," a spokesman for the Pyrenees-Orientales fire brigade told AFP.
"This [Monday] morning, we continue to tackle the fringes of the fire. The wind is forecast to pick up and we will check that flames don't restart in areas that are still smouldering."
The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, visited the site at around 08:30.
Tweet translation: The fire has now covered more than 930 hectares in the Pyrenees-Orientales. 300 people were evacuated. I will be there early tomorrow morning to take stock of the situation, support the 500 firefighters and rescuers mobilized and the hard-hit Pyreneans.
The fire broke out on Sunday morning between the two towns of Cerbère and Banyuls-sur-Mer and was then fanned by a strong Tramontane wind.
This is the biggest fire in France this year and started in a department particularly affected by the lack of rainfall and the dryness of the soil.
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The drought in the Pyrenees-Orientales, linked to global warming, is already causing restrictions and tensions, with four villages being deprived of drinking water since Friday, while farmers, numerous in the fruit and vegetable producing department, fear for their survival at the start of this historically dry spring.
