NEARLY 40,000 HECTARES OF FOREST AND PLANTS DESTROYED

PARIS, JULY 20 /SRNA/ - Almost 40,000 hectares of forests and greenery have burned since the beginning of the year in France, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said.

Nunez told Radio France Inter that the figures were significantly higher than last year, adding that new fires were breaking out every day.

Wildfires are raging in France as a result of an exceptional heat wave.

French President Emmanuel Macron said in mid-July that this summer, France had faced a record number of wildfires since the end of World War II.

France's meteorological service issued severe weather warnings for 72 of its 96 departments in late June, a new record high. Temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius /104 degrees Fahrenheit/, and in some areas even higher.