Firefighters bring huge blaze in France under control
Authorities said that hot, dry winds on Sunday and a heatwave would make the work of firefighters more difficult AFP / Euractiv Aug 11, 2025 10:50 3 min. read News Service
Produced externally by an organization we trust to adhere to journalistic standards.
Firefighters have contained a massive wildfire in southern France but still face a "complicated" struggle, but officials warned on Sunday that scorching heat and dry winds could reignite the blaze.
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.
"The fire is now under control. This still requires continued mobilisation. We must hold on and not weaken," Amelie Trioux, chief of staff of the Aude prefect, told a press briefing.
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. Temperatures in the coming days are expected to hit 42C in some areas, according to national weather service Meteo France.
Some 1,300 firefighters were drafted in to stop the blaze from flaring up amid fears that winds blowing around 50 kilometres per hour could fan lingering hot spots. The blaze – France's largest since 1949 – has torn 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 animals.
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.
Bernier's property now holds only a few geese and two sick goats after she entrusted her surviving sheep to a local winegrower, as the farm was 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.
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.
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.
(cp)
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