'Challenging day' for firefighters battling huge blaze in France
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.
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