Dozens of firefighters, aided by firefighting aircraft, are battling to extinguish a forest fire that broke out outside the communities of Can-ci-Mer and Villeneuve-Loubet in southern France, near Nice international airport.

The fire is burning in an uninhabited area near a highway, a local official told Reuters, adding that he was not aware of any evacuation orders at this time.

Because of this situation Motorway traffic and train services have been suspended, police said via the X (formerly Twitter) platform. Officials at Nice Airport were not immediately available for comment.

Extreme weather conditions throughout July have wreaked havoc on the planet, with temperatures breaking all previous records in China, the US and southern Europe. As a result, forest fires have broken out, there are water shortages and hospital admissions have increased due to the heat.

The Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, home to many major cities (Marseille, Nice, Aix-en-Provence) was under close watch today amid high temperatures and strong winds. The Bouches-de-Rhône region was put on “red alert” as there was a “very high risk” of fire.

Several fires broke out in southern France this afternoon and local authorities blocked access to parks and marketsto minimize the risk to residents, according to local newspaper Nice Matin.