Wildfire Burns 1,300 Hectares in France as Heatwave Hits 83 Regions
Listen to the story
A big wildfire is burning in the Landes, an area in France. The fire has burned 1,300 hectares of land.
France is having a heatwave now. The weather is very hot and dry. Hot weather can make fires burn faster and bigger.
Because of the heat and the fires, 83 départements in France are on orange alert. A département is like a region or area in France. Orange alert means people must be careful.
Firefighters are working to stop the fire. They used a big helicopter from Australia to help fight the fire. The helicopter can carry a lot of water.
The fire in the Landes is called a convective fire. This means the fire makes very hot air. The hot air goes up fast into the sky. This can make clouds of smoke called pyrocumulonimbus. These clouds can make the fire more dangerous.
People in France are worried about the fire and the heat. Firefighters are working hard to stop the fire from getting bigger.
Vocabulary8 words
- wildfire
- a big fire that burns outside, in nature
- hectares
- a way to measure land; one hectare is a big piece of land
- heatwave
- many days of very hot weather
- départements
- areas or regions in France
- orange alert
- a warning that means be careful, there is danger
- helicopter
- a flying machine with spinning blades on top
- convective fire
- a fire that makes very hot air go up fast
- pyrocumulonimbus
- a big cloud made by smoke and heat from a fire
Quiz
Answer key
1. 1,300 2. To fight the fire 3. True
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
A big _____ is burning in the Landes, an area in France. The fire has burned 1,300 _____ of land.
France is having a _____ now. The weather is very hot and dry.
Because of the heat and the fires, 83 _____ in France are on _____ alert.
Firefighters used a big _____ from Australia to help fight the fire.
The fire in the Landes is called a _____ fire. This can make clouds of smoke called _____.
People in France are _____ about the fire and the heat.