Where France Has Burned
Over fifty thousand forest fires recorded since 2006: a map replaying them, year by year, across the country.
Since 2006, the French Forest Fire Database (BDIFF) has recorded every forest fire on French territory: its municipality, its date, the area it burned. More than fifty thousand fires are now listed, overwhelmingly concentrated around the Mediterranean rim.
This map replays, year by year, where these fires occurred: each point appears at the municipality where it started, its size reflecting the area burned. The Mediterranean rim’s share of the annual total slowly recedes over the period (from seven fires in ten in 2006-2010 to six in ten in 2021-2025), while more fires appear elsewhere: Brittany, the Alps, Normandy, the Vosges. Fire remains concentrated on its historical ground, but it no longer stays fully confined to it.
Show the data as a table
| Year | Fires | Area burned (ha) | Largest fire |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 3,201 | 6,999 | Vendémian (34), 430 ha |
| 2007 | 2,666 | 6,664 | La Motte (83), 462 ha |
| 2008 | 1,774 | 4,118 | Saint-André-de-Roquelongue (11), 812 ha |
| 2009 | 2,967 | 14,491 | Fozzano (2A), 3,221 ha |
| 2010 | 2,399 | 8,325 | Fontanès (34), 2,544 ha |
| 2011 | 2,724 | 6,465 | Pianello (2B), 348 ha |
| 2012 | 2,735 | 7,441 | Orgon (13), 738 ha |
| 2013 | 1,495 | 2,723 | Fleury (11), 247 ha |
| 2014 | 1,713 | 4,690 | Talasani (2B), 542 ha |
| 2015 | 2,860 | 8,090 | Saint-Jean-d'Illac (33), 563 ha |
| 2016 | 2,747 | 14,031 | Rognac (13), 2,663 ha |
| 2017 | 3,187 | 22,458 | Olmeta-di-Tuda (2B), 2,118 ha |
| 2018 | 1,609 | 3,885 | Sant'Andréa-di-Cotone (2B), 1,317 ha |
| 2019 | 2,913 | 13,031 | Calenzana (2B), 1,110 ha |
| 2020 | 2,749 | 10,710 | Quenza (2A), 3,139 ha |
| 2021 | 2,323 | 12,769 | Gonfaron (83), 6,832 ha |
| 2022 | 4,356 | 58,914 | Landiras (33), 12,552 ha |
| 2023 | 2,669 | 5,386 | Banyuls-sur-Mer (66), 725 ha |
| 2024 | 1,347 | 2,663 | Gigean (34), 310 ha |
| 2025 | 2,512 | 21,737 | Ribaute (11), 11,133 ha |
| 2006-2025 | 50,946 | 235,588 | Landiras (33), 12,552 ha |
Data sources
- Base de Données sur les Incendies de Forêts en France (BDIFF)
- API Découpage administratif (communes)
Download the prepared data: fires.json (8.1 MB)
Files as the visualization uses them. Reuse remains subject to the licenses of the sources above.
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