Firefighters battle to prevent reignition of France's largest wildfire as residents return home
"The fight is continuing, firefighters are still working on (fire) re-ignition," he said. The blaze left one person dead and 25 people have been injured, including 19 firefighters, Pouget said. High temperatures in the coming days are expected to complicate firefighters' efforts.
"The fire won't be extinguished for several weeks," Christophe Magny, director of Aude firefighters department, said, pointing to several "hot spots" that are being closely monitored.
France's national weather agency Météo France placed the southern half of France under "high vigilance" alert for heat wave, with temperatures expected in the Aude region of up to 39 degrees Celsius on Saturday.
Southern Europe has seen multiple large fires this summer. Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires.
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Local France
2 hours ago
- Local France
'Challenging day' for firefighters battling huge blaze in France
The fire, which has ravaged a vast area of France's southern Aude department, killing one person and injuring several others, comes as parts of the Mediterranean region face a heatwave. Authorities said that hot, dry winds on Sunday -- similar to those on the day the blaze began -- and a heatwave would make the work of firefighters more difficult. "With temperatures approaching 40 degrees Celsius, there is a major risk of fire," said local official Herve Baro. Some 1,300 firefighters were drafted in to stop the blaze from flaring up amid fears that winds blowing around 50 kilometres (30 miles) per hour could fan lingering hot spots. "It's going to be a challenging day," said Christian Pouget, prefect of the Aude department, citing the weather conditions. The fire is no longer spreading but is still burning within a 16,000-hectare (40,000-acre) area, said the chief of the region's firefighter unit Christophe Magny on Saturday, adding it would not be under control until Sunday evening. But the blaze will "not be extinguished for several weeks," he said. People walk through a burnt-out farm following wildfires in Fontjoncouse, southern France on August 9, 2025. (Photo by Idriss Bigou-Gilles / AFP) Temperatures in the coming days are expected to hit 42C in some areas, according to national weather service Meteo France. In Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, a 65-year-old woman was found dead on Wednesday in her home, which was devastated by flames. Advertisement Authorities said one resident suffered serious burns and four others were lightly injured, while 19 firefighters were hurt, including one with a head injury. 'Extremely angry' The blaze -- the largest in at least 50 years -- tore through 16,000 hectares of vegetation, disaster officials said. For livestock farmers in Fontjoncouse, the fire has ravaged grazing land and wiped out much of their flocks, fuelling outrage among those who said they did not have time to evacuate their herds. READ ALSO: MAP: Which parts of France suffer the most wildfires Emmanuelle Bernier said she was "extremely angry" when she returned to a devastating scene, finding the pen that had housed her herd of goats in ruins, with 17 animals -- some close to giving birth -- lost in the fire. "I will definitely change jobs. This will change my whole life," she said. Advertisement Bernier's property now holds only a few geese and two sick goats after she entrusted her surviving sheep to a local winegrower, the farm too damaged for them to stay. But as she surveyed the scorched landscape, Bernier voiced some hope for the future. "There's still a little life left," she said. 'Hard to bear' Experts warn that European countries are becoming ever more vulnerable to such disasters due to intensifying summer heatwaves linked to global warming. A beekeeper looks at a burnt hive following wildfires in Fontjoncouse, southern France on August 9, 2025. (Photo by Idriss Bigou-Gilles / AFP) There has been "an acceleration in the occurrence of heatwaves" linked to climate change, Meteo France said, noting the country has had only two summers without such episodes in the past 16 years. Residents of southern France said the high temperatures are becoming unbearable, especially for the most vulnerable, including the elderly or children. "I've never experienced a heatwave as hard to bear as this year, said Monique Beluy, 81, in the southern city of Marseille, who worries about living alone. I'm feeling less and less calm given my age and my health. I know I'm more vulnerable," she said. The heatwave is forecast to peak between Monday and Tuesday, but high temperatures are likely to persist through the end of the week, according to Meteo France.
Euronews
5 hours ago
- Euronews
New heatwave continues unabated in southern Europe
Temperatures have again soared across Europe. In France, on Sunday, 42 departments were put on orange heat alerts, according to French weather forecaster Météo France, with the worst yet to come as temperatures are expected to peak on Monday and Tuesday. According to the French weathercaster, from Monday onwards 46 departments will be placed under orange alert, with temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees or more in France's most southern areas such as the Hérault, a neighbouring department of the Aude, which just recently suffered one of France's worst wildfires in the past 50 years. The Var and the southern parts of the Ardèche and Drôme departments are also expecting temperatures of up to 40 degrees. Red alert in Tenerife due to impending Calima Further south, both Spain's mainland and its islands are suffering from the heat this Sunday, with 15 autonomous communities on alert, including the Canary Islands where temperatures reached 40 degrees across much of the archipelago. Adding to the heat, the island is expected to be hit by the Calima, a hot, dry wind that blows from the Sahara Desert, which reduces visibility and can cause discomfort when breathing. As a result, the Canary Islands Government's Emergency Management Agency has issued a pre-alert for the island of Tenerife, alongside the red alert already declared for Sunday. On Spain's mainland north-west region of León, six fires are currently keeping the entire province on alert, two of which are particularly serious due to their proximity to inhabited areas. In Yeres, around thirty residents have been evacuated because the fire is close to the populated area. This situation has led the Regional Government of Castile and León to declare a level 2 alert for the fire in Yeres, which directly affects the World Heritage Site of Las Médulas. Portugal remains on high alert despite bringing wildfires under control Portugal's Civil Protection has raised the state of readiness to maximum level this Sunday due to the heat and increased risk of fire. The heightened alert is expected to remain in place until midnight on Wednesday. The districts of Bragança and Vila Real, in the north of the country, will be under a red warning. Viseu, Guarda and Castelo Branco, Portalegre, Évora and Beja will be under orange warning and the remaining districts will be under yellow alert. Sunday morning broke with slight relief after a night of hell due to the fires in Moimenta da Beira and Trancoso, in the district of Viseu. More than 750 firefighters are on the scene. These two fires have been under control since 10am, but there have been flare-ups. In Vila Real, two fires with several active fronts have been reported and 700 operatives have been mobilised to the scene. In the central region, a fire broke out in Penacova and has mobilised eight aerial resources and almost 250 operatives, Civil Protection told Portuguese news agency Lusa. Due to the complexity of the meteorological conditions, the Civil Protection also announced the reinforcement of resources.
LeMonde
9 hours ago
- LeMonde
'Challenging day' for firefighters battling huge blaze in France
Firefighters have contained a massive wildfire in southern France but local officials warned on Sunday, August 10, that scorching heat and dry conditions could reignite the blaze, as parts of the Mediterranean region face a heatwave. The fire has ravaged a vast area of France's southern Aude department at the peak of the summer tourist season, killing one person and injuring several others. Authorities said that hot, dry winds on Sunday – similar to those on the day the blaze began – and a heatwave would make the work of firefighters more difficult. "It's a challenging day, given that we are likely to be on red alert for heatwave from 4 pm, which will not make things any easier," said Christian Pouget, prefect of the Aude department. The fire is no longer spreading but is still burning within a 16,000-hectare area, said Christophe Magny on Saturday, chief of the region's firefighter unit, adding it would not be under control until Sunday evening. But the blaze will "not be extinguished for several weeks," he said. Some 1,300 firefighters were mobilised to prevent the blaze from reigniting amid fears that the tramontane wind, which officials said picked up overnight Saturday to Sunday, could fan lingering hot spots. Temperatures this weekend are expected to hit 40 degrees Celsius in some areas, and Monday is forecast to be the "hottest day nationwide," according to national weather service Meteo France. In Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, a 65-year-old woman was found dead on Wednesday in her home, which was devastated by flames. Authorities said one resident suffered serious burns and four others were lightly injured, while 19 firefighters were hurt, including one with a head injury. Experts say European countries are becoming ever more vulnerable to such disasters due to intensifying summer heatwaves linked to global warming. The blaze, the largest in at least 50 years, tore through 16,000 hectares of vegetation, disaster officials said. For livestock farmers in Fontjoncouse, the fire has ravaged grazing land and wiped out much of their flocks, fuelling outrage among those who said they did not have time to evacuate their herds.
