It caused severe delays for trains in the area, with no services running between Nice and Antibes.
This led to a knock-on effect for TGV services between the south-east of the country and Paris, as well as on rush hour commuter rail journeys between the Italian border and Cannes.
This video, taken by Connexion intern Léon Xu, shows commuters at Monaco Monte-Carlo station cheering the arrival of a train after waiting more than three hours.
Crowd cheering at Monaco train station last evening, after a nearly 3h traffic stop due to a wildfire near Cagnes-sur-Mer. pic.twitter.com/HWmrVvkPVi
Around 90% of forest and wildfires are man-made – whether intentionally or not – and the government has issued advice on how to limit the risk of them starting.
The advice includes:
Keeping up to date with weather and forest fire warnings using Météo France
Putting cigarette butts in ashtrays and not throwing them on the floor
Storing flammable materials and products away from vegetation and your home
If you are organising a barbecue, avoid a wooden terrace
Clearing undergrowth from around your property and land
In the case of the latter, a series of laws mean it could be mandatory to débroussailler in your area.
If you are found guilty of starting a wildfire, you could face severe penalties.
Those who unintentionally start a fire could face between one and seven years in prison, and a fine between €10,000 and €100,000, depending on the damage and number of fatalities.
If you intentionally start a fire, the penalties rise to between two and ten years in prison, and a €30,000 – €150,000 fine.
If you are caught in a forest or wildfire, the government recommends immediately alerting the firefighters by calling 18, 114 (the number for hard-of-hearing people) or 112 (the European Emergency number).
You should take shelter inside a house, blocking doors and air vents and putting a damp cloth over your nose and mouth.
