France must invest more on fighting wildfires - minister

France must invest more money on fighting wildfires, Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau said on Wednesday, as President Emmanuel Macron prepared to visit the southwestern Gironde region, where a large area has been burned. "We must go further," Fesneau told France 2 Television.

France must invest more money in fighting wildfires, Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau said on Wednesday, as President Emmanuel Macron prepared to visit the southwestern Gironde region, where a large area has been burned.

"We must go further," Fesneau told France 2 Television. Fesneau said the government had already earmarked 850 million euros ($870 million) to upgrade its fleet of fire-fighting planes, as well as 1 billion euros for re-planting trees.

"We are having to confront a quite exceptional situation, we are talking about more than 20,000 hectares affected in Gironde, 1,500 in Finistere, and 1,500 in the Bouches du Rhone," added Fesneau, referring to damage caused in Brittany and southern France. Government spokesman Olivier Veran told reporters that Macron had requested the requisition of two civil helicopters to help firefighters battling the Gironde fires.

Firefighters in southwestern France have been battling since July 12 to contain massive forest wildfires while Britain recorded its highest ever temperature on Tuesday, as a heatwave swept across Europe. ($1 = 0.9768 euros)