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Forest fire blazes in southern France as high alert issued for wildfires

The fire, the latest of several in the area in recent days, started on the property of a winery south of the city of Narbonne on Monday afternoon, then spread rapidly due to wind and parched vegetation after a heatwave. More than 1,000 firefighters battled the flames overnight, but by the morning the inferno had partially damaged 2,000 hectares of land and was still going strong, local authorities said. Local official Christian Pouget said six homes had been partially affected. "The fire has still not been brought under control," he said. In the village of Prat-de-Cest on Tuesday morning, trees were blackened or still on fire. Advertisement As she watched fire trucks drive to and fro, retiree Martine Bou, who did not give her age, recounted fleeing her home with her cats, tortoises and dog on Monday afternoon before returning. But her husband Frederic stayed all night to hose down the great pines on the other side of the road so the fire would not engulf their home. "I've never seen anything like it. I have never lived next to such an enormous fire," he told AFP, reporting flames dozens of metres high. Inhabitants of several villages close to the blaze were evacuated, while 'stay at home' notices have been issued to the inhabitants of the Roches-Grises, Montplaisir and Réveillon, the Jonquières estate in Narbonne, Prat-de-Cest in Bages and the commune of Peyriac-de-Mer. Inhabitants of the wider area are advised to keep windows closed because of the smoke. An emergency welcome centre has been opened in Narbonne for those unable to go home because of the blaze - follow Ville de Narbonne on social media for the latest information. French weather service Météo France said the risk of fires remained high on Tuesday - the whole of France's southern coast is on alert for wildfires, with three départements on red (the highest level). Authorities closed the A9 - the main road link between France and Spain - on Tuesday morning, but the road was later progressively reopened to traffic. Météo France said this weekend that a punishing heatwave that began on June 19th had officially ended on Friday, lasting in all 16 days -- the same length as the country's deadly 2003 heatwave. Temperatures in most of the country have been cooler in recent days, but the hot weather is predicted to return at the end of the week and over the July 14th holiday weekend. Scientists say human-induced climate change is increasing the intensity, length and frequency of the extreme heat that causes some forest fires. READ ALSO : MAP: How to check for wildfire alerts in France✎