Deadly 'unprecedented' wildfire rages in southwestern France
More than 2,100 firefighters are still battling an intense wildfire in the Corbieres hills in a Mediterranean region of France near the border to Spain.
They are supported by some 90 firefighting planes, including water bombers, and 40 helicopters, according to the latest update by the Aude prefecture, which leads the affected local government department.
From Thursday, several dozen soldiers and three army helicopters will help battle the fire, which broke out Tuesday afternoon in the village of Ribaute in the Aude region, a rural, wooded area home to wineries.
The blaze has since swept through 16,000 hectares. Authorities described it as the largest fire in nearly 80 years.
Michael Sabot, the deputy director of Aude fire department, told France's BFM-TV late on Wednesday that the flames "certainly" wouldn't be brought under control on Thursday.
This is because of the "unfavorable weather conditions," he said, as higher temperatures and strong winds of more than 40 kilometers per hour (25 miles per hour) forecast for Thursday would further dry out vegetation.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offered the bloc's help early on Thursday morning to help bring the fires under control.
Scale of the fire is 'unprecedented'
French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou called the fire a "catastrophe of unprecedented scale," during a visit to the region earlier on Wednesday.
This was the biggest area to be burnt in a single fire since 1949, he added.
"What is happening today is linked to global warming and linked to drought," Bayrou said.
One dead, one missing and 13 injured
One person has died from the fire, 13 others were injured, including two seriously.
An elderly woman died in her home, at least one person is missing and two people were injured, one of whom is now in critical condition with severe burns, according to the Aude prefecture.
Of those injured, nine are firefighters.
Several campsites and at least one village have been evacuated in the region, which is popular with tourists.
Jacques Piraux, mayor of the tiny rural village of Jonquieres, said all residents had been evacuated.
"It's a scene of sadness and desolation," he told BFM TV after visiting there on Wednesday morning.
"It looks like a lunar landscape, everything is burned. More than half or three-quarters of the village has burned down. It's hellish."
"I left everything behind me," said David Cerdan, a 51-year-old who fled the village of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, where the elderly woman died.
"I'm putting it into perspective. I only have material damage," said Cerdan, who lived near the victim.
More than a dozen roads are closed around the region.
The A9 motorway, parts of which were closed Tuesday into Wednesday, reopened Wednesday afternoon after the wind changed direction.
The A9 is a major route for trucks traveling to and from southern Spain. It experiences heavy traffic in the summer due to tourists traveling along the French and Spanish Mediterranean coast.
Edited by: Sean Sinico
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
France's largest wildfire in decades leaves trail of devastation
France's largest wildfire in decades is continuing to burn and spread, though at a slower pace, having already ravaged more than 160 square kilometres (62 square miles) in the south of the country, local authorities said. The blaze, which started on Tuesday and tore through the Corbieres massif in the Aude region, has remained uncontained despite the deployment of more than 2,100 firefighters and several water bomber aircraft. The fire's rapid spread was fuelled by weeks of hot, dry weather, though cooler temperatures and calmer winds overnight helped slightly ease the situation. 'The battle continues, we have a fire that is not yet under control,' region administrator Christian Pouget told broadcaster BFMTV. The fire has swept through 15 communes in the Corbieres massif, destroying or damaging at least 36 homes, with a full damage assessment still under way. One person died in their home, and at least 13 others were injured, including 11 firefighters, according to local authorities. Three people were reported missing, the Aude prefecture added. An investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the fire, which has left a blackened landscape of skeletal trees and ash. 'It's very sad to think about the image we're going to give of our Corbieres region, with its devastated landscapes and desperate women and men, not just today or tomorrow, but for weeks and months to come. It will take years to rebuild,' said Xavier de Volontat, the mayor of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, speaking to BFMTV. Meanwhile, residents and tourists in nearby areas have been asked to remain in their homes unless told to evacuate. Those who had already fled the flames were sheltered overnight in temporary accommodation centres in 17 municipalities. The fire, which began in the village of Ribaute, is the most significant France has faced since 1949, according to Agnes Pannier-Runacher, France's minister for ecological transition. 'The night was cooler, so the fire is spreading more slowly, but it remains the most significant fire France has seen since 1949,' she told France Info radio. 'It is a fire that is clearly a consequence of climate change and drought in this region.' This week's fire was the biggest since the creation of a national fire database in 2006, according to the national emergency service. 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. Last month, a wildfire that reached the southern port of Marseille, France's second-largest city, left around 300 people injured. Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing at twice the speed of the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
France's largest wildfire in decades leaves a trail of devastation
VILLEROUGE LA CREMADE, France — France's largest wildfire in decades continued to burn and spread Thursday, though at a slower pace, after having already ravaged more than 160 square kilometers (62 square miles) in the south of the country and claiming one life, local authorities said. The blaze, which started Tuesday and tore through the Corbières massif in the Aude region, has remained uncontained despite the deployment of over 2,100 firefighters and several water bomber aircraft.
Bloomberg
2 hours ago
- Bloomberg
French Firefighters Battle to Control Worst Blaze Since 1949
French firefighters spent a third day tackling the country's worst wildfire in more than seven decades, hoping to bring it under control by Friday as lower wind speeds reduce the intensity of the blaze. After starting on Tuesday, the fire in the southwestern department of Aude has burned more than 160 square kilometers (62 square miles), an area bigger than Paris, French authorities said. One person has died and at least 13 people, including 11 firefighters, have been injured.
