Wildfires have raged across southern Europe since last week and in France have forced thousands to leave their homes.
"It was with deep sadness that I learnt this morning of the death of a young volunteer firefighter from SDIS 73, aged 22, who died whilst on duty after spending part of the night fighting a forest fire in Savoie," French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on X on Wednesday.
Heatwaves in France and across western Europe in May and June have parched vast areas of land, making them particularly vulnerable to wildfires.
Temperatures are forecast to once again hit 40C in southwest France this week.
The European Commission has pre-positioned a record 777 firefighters from 14 European countries in high-risk areas across Cyprus, Greece, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal.
Portugal and France activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism over the weekend due to wildfires burning simultaneously and scorching thousands of hectares.
The Trevillach wildfire in France's Pyrenees-Orientales has burned 4900 hectares.
It did not advance overnight, the local prefect said on X, allowing residents of a dozen villages to return home.
The blaze, however, is not fully contained.
6°C