Fires associated with hot dry weather, preventing the initial stage of harvest of grain this year in France, the main producer of the European Union, destroying hundreds of hectares and the resulting fire prevention measures in some areas.

On Wednesday there was a record temperature for this time of year, in several parts of the country - up to 40 degrees Celsius as heat wave intensified, adding stress to the crop in the Central and Northern France, which this spring was faced with drought.

A fire can ignite from the combine and quickly burn the entire crop.

In the administrative Department of the Eure-and-Loir, which covers part of the plains of Beauce, which is one of the largest "grain belt" of France, the local authorities ordered farmers to plow up a 10-meter strip around fields to prevent the spread of fire.

The Department has recorded 140 field fires from Friday to Tuesday, which destroyed 606 hectares.

Farmers reported fires and other major grain-producing regions, including Burgundy, Picardy, and the Seine and the Marne, which also destroyed several hundred hectares.

While the fires have had an impact mainly on winter barley, as this field is harvested in the first period of harvest in France.

The consequences so far are considered to be negligible compared to 1.3 million hectares of winter barley and 9.6 million hectares of cereals planted for harvest this year in France.

But the loss of crops from fire can be further reduced its forecast for the crop after analysts have downgraded the forecast yield due to the recent drought.

The heat wave in France, expected to last until early next week.