French authorities said approximately 5,000 people were evacuated from villages in southern France on Sunday as firefighters battled a fast-spreading wildfire amid a new heatwave.
The Pyrénées-Orientales department said the evacuations took place in a mountain range west of the city of Perpignan.
Local channel BFMTV reported that the flames had consumed 1,650 hectares, adding that one resident and one firefighter had been seriously injured.
The fire has already forced changes to Stage 3 of the Tour de France, which had been scheduled to pass through the affected area on Monday and will now be held without spectators or an advertising caravan.
The department's prefect, Pierre Renaud de la Mothe, said: "The exceptionally large wildfires currently burning in the Pyrénées-Orientales mountains require an intensive deployment of our fire service's wildfire-fighting resources, as well as the resources of the domestic security forces and all government agencies."
He added that "the absolute and entirely clear priority is, of course, the protection of residents, property, and natural areas, as well as containing the fire."
France's meteorological agency warned of a heightened wildfire risk on Monday, issuing its highest red-level alert for seven regions in the south-east of the country. A further 41 regions face an increased wildfire risk, according to the agency.