Big wildfire rages in southern France, World News
More than 1,250 firefighters have been deployed to the scene, Colonel Alexandre Jouassard, spokesperson for the civil protection agency, told BFMTV.
President Emmanuel Macron said on X the fire was progressing and that "all the nation's resources were mobilised."
Two people were injured in the fire, including one seriously, Lucie Rosech, the deputy prefect of Aude, told BFMTV.
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Straits Times
10 hours ago
- Straits Times
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Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SAINT-LAURENT-DE-LA-CABRERISSE, France - French firefighters battled for a second day on Thursday to contain its biggest wildfire in nearly eight decades, which has burnt over 16,000 hectares and killed one person. Reuters TV images showed plumes of smoke rising over the forest area in the region of Aude in southern France. "As of now, the fire has not been brought under control," Christophe Magny, one of the officials leading the firefighting operation, told BFM TV. The blaze near the border with Spain towards the Mediterranean Sea began earlier this week and has already swept through an area bigger than Paris. Officials have said it is France's biggest wildfire since 1949. Scientists say the Mediterranean region's hotter, drier summers put it at high risk of wildfires. REUTERS
AsiaOne
13 hours ago
- AsiaOne
France battles largest wildfire in decades, 1 person killed, World News
SAINT-LAURENT-DE-LA-CABRERISSE, France — French firefighters were battling on Wednesday (Aug 6) to control the country's biggest wildfire in almost 80 years, with the blaze in the southern Aude region having already swept through an area bigger than Paris. One person died in the village of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, about 30 kilometers from the city of Perpignan, the prefecture said. The fire, which spread very rapidly through forests and villages, has burnt down at least 25 houses, forcing residents and tourists to flee. Many roads are closed. "It's a catastrophe of unprecedented scale," Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said as he visited Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse. So far, over 15,000 hectares have burned. That is similar to the total area that burned across all of France in several of the past years, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said. He added this was the biggest area burnt by one single fire in France since 1949. The fire moved incredibly fast, leaving no time to prepare, said Dutch national Renate Koot, who was on holidays in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse with her partner and had to flee. "One moment we were on the phone with our children... thinking, 'Look, a fire!'. The next, we had to jump in the car and leave, while praying for protection. We didn't take anything with us and just left," she said. "We're okay. Miraculously." "It's unbelievable. It's a catastrophe," said Spanish national Issa Medina, as the sound of firefighters echoed in the background. Medina was with her family in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse. The prefecture said the fire was progressing "very quickly" and that nearly 2,000 firefighters were trying to bring it under control. Around 2,500 households in the area were currently without electricity, it said. Firefighter spokesman Eric Brocardi told RTL radio the fire was spreading at 5.5 kph (3.4 mph). High risk of fires Officials and experts warned the wind could change direction, further complicating efforts to fight the wildfire. Scientists say the Mediterranean region's hotter, drier summers put it at high risk of wildfires. Once fires start, plentiful dry vegetation and strong winds in the region can cause them to spread rapidly and burn out of control. "With climate change, the risk of having wildfires is expected to increase during the summer, but also to extend into the autumn and spring, and to spread toward the southwest, the centre, and the north of France," said Serge Zaka, a climate and agriculture analyst. Spain, Portugal Meanwhile, Spain is experiencing a prolonged heatwave since Sunday that was expected to extend into next week, with temperatures reaching 43 degrees Celsius in some areas. The high temperatures have helped to fan several wildfires. Emergency services on Wednesday were still fighting to put out a blaze in the kitesurfing resort of Tarifa in southern Spain that was believed to have been started when a caravan in a campsite caught fire. Gusts of wind of up to 50km/h and high temperatures meant that some parts of the fire that had been extinguished were reignited, said Antonio Sanz, interior minister for the regional government of Andalusia. In Portugal, wildfires have burned through more than 42,000 hectares so far this year, the largest area since 2022 and eight times more than at the same time last year. More than half of that area was affected in the last two weeks amid high summer temperatures. In the early hours on Wednesday, firefighters managed to control a large blaze that has been raging since Saturday near Vila Real in the north, where the heatwave has brought temperatures up to 40C this week. [[nid:721010]]
CNA
2 days ago
- CNA
Fire in southern France burns 11,000 hectares, injures nine
LAGRASSE, France: A wildfire in southern France slowed overnight into Wednesday (Aug 6) after injuring nine people and burning through 11,000 hectares of vegetation, local officials said. The blaze, which started on Tuesday afternoon, is still threatening several villages in the Aude department, where 1,500 firefighters have been battling to extinguish it. "The fire is advancing in an area where all the conditions are ripe for it to progress. We are monitoring the edges and the back of the fire to prevent flare-ups," said Lucie Roesch, secretary general of the Aude prefecture. She said firefighters are expecting to receive aerial support at dawn, but warned that "this fire will keep us busy for several days. It's a long-term operation". The fire's advance slowed overnight due to high humidity levels, she added. One person was seriously burned and another injured, the prefecture said, adding that seven firefighters were also hurt. Camping grounds and one village were partially evacuated, and several local roads have been closed. "All of the Nation's resources are mobilised," French President Emmanuel Macron said on X, while calling on people to exercise "the utmost caution". The Aude department has seen an increase in areas burnt in recent years, aggravated by low rainfall and the removal of vineyards, which used to help break the progression of fires.
