Firefighters in the Heart of Danger

After a hot, dry spring, the woodland around Marseille was ready to go up in flames.

Provence has the hottest, driest summers in France. Day after day, the sun shines over the exceptionally dry forests.

Summer has arrived sooner than normal in the Bouches du Rhone with temperatures well over 30 degrees Celsius.

1600 acres of woodland have already burned in June and July and the Bouches du Rhone fire-fighters are exhausted.

Halfway through a hot, dry summer, the slightest spark sets off fires.

The Bouches du Rhone department has just been through the worst fire season in a decade.