The third heatwave to hit France in less than two months is intensifying, as the French meteorological agency (Météo-France) announced that 24 departments in the northwest of the country will be on maximum red alert on Saturday due to extreme heat, while 56 other departments will be placed on orange alert.

Nine departments in western France had been placed on maximum alert since Friday, along with 72 departments on orange alert, with forecasts of temperatures between 38 and 40 degrees Celsius in the regions of Poitou-Charentes, Pays de la Loire, and Centre-Val de Loire, and 36 to 38 degrees in other parts of the northern half of the country.

The French alert system comprises four levels, starting from the lowest green, through yellow and orange, up to red, which represents the maximum alert.

Météo-France warned that the heatwave will continue until at least mid-next week, despite a slight drop in temperatures on the western coast on Tuesday and Wednesday. Corsica, the Côte d'Azur coast, northern France, and some mountainous regions will remain the only areas spared from the extreme heat.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu held an emergency meeting on Friday morning to discuss the impact of the heatwave, while the government activated an 'extreme heat emergency plan' in the departments placed on maximum alert, a plan that did not exist before.

However, the French government faced sharp criticism due to its lack of preparedness for the wave, amid a noticeable increase in heat-related deaths in recent weeks.

Regarding fires, fire fronts remain active across the country due to the heatwave accompanied by drought, with flames consuming nearly 3,700 hectares in the Drôme department in southeastern France, according to the fire brigade report released on Friday morning. Météo-France classified one department at 'very high risk' of fire outbreaks, and 63 other departments at 'high risk'.