Extreme heat is causing more drownings in France
According to health authorities, the main reason is the intense heat recorded from mid-June to early July, which drove large numbers of people to seek relief in bodies of water. During the 16 days of heatwave warnings at the start of summer, water-related accidents soared by 142%. After an end of July marked by variable weather, authorities fear the toll could rise further. Summer is barely halfway through, and the heat that has settled over the south of France is expected to intensify and spread across much of the country from Thursday, August 7.
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Local France
16 hours ago
- Local France
IN PICTURES: Devastation wreaked by France's biggest wildfire in 70 years
The fire in France's southern Aude département, near Carcassonne, burned 17,000 acres before being brought under control on Thursday night. On Friday morning it was still burning, with local authorities saying they expect it to continue burning for several days. Thousands of people are still unable to return home, roads are closed and villages are without electricity. READ ALSO : Road closures, maps, evacuation zones: The latest on wildfire in southern France As the flames receded, photographers from AFP were able to access some of the wildfire zones to document the destruction wreaked by the flames. Smoke billows from a scorched area during a wildfire in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse. Photo by Idriss BIGOU-GILLES / AFP One person has died in the fire, a 65-year-old woman who reportedly told gendarmes that she was determined to remain in her home, and several people have been seriously injured, including two firefighters. Burnt vehicles in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse. Photo by Idriss BIGOU-GILLES / AFP But most of the damage is to property, with the full scale of the destruction likely to take weeks to asses. Advertisement A burnt building n Jonquières, southern France on August 7, 2025. Photo by Idriss Bigou-Gilles / AFP Access to the forest area is closed until at least Sunday, with local authorities saying the roads are too dangerous due to trailing electrical cables and fire debris. Charred trees behind the sign indicating the entrance to the Regional Nature Park of the Mediterranean Narbonnaise. Photo by Valentine CHAPUIS / AFP Many roads in the area remain closed and homes are without power. French winemaker Fabien Mestre looks at a burnt vineyard in Tournissan. Photo by Idriss Bigou-Gilles / AFP) Around 2,000 people have been evacuated from their homes. French winemaker Hugues Maurin touches a vine at a burnt vineyard in Tournissan. Photo by Idriss Bigou-Gilles / AFP A burnt forest area during a wildfire in Coustouge. Photo by Idriss Bigou-Gilles / AFP A firefighter walks past a burnt building in Jonquières. Photo by Idriss Bigou-Gilles / AFP
Euronews
16 hours ago
- Euronews
France on alert after containing worst wildfire in decades
French authorities and firefighters remain on high alert following the containment of the country's largest wildfire in decades, as soaring temperatures risk reigniting the blaze that tore through the southern Aude region this week. Over the course of three days, the fire scorched more than 160 square kilometres of land in the Corbières mountains, a well-known wine-producing area. One person died and at least 21 others were injured, including 16 firefighters, as the flames burned through 15 communes, forcing the evacuation of hundreds. Officials said the fire's perimeter had reached 90 kilometres before it was brought under control. They also noted that another heatwave could push temperatures beyond 30°C, increasing the risk of flare-ups. As of Friday morning, roughly 1,000 residents were still unable to return to their homes, with 36 properties either destroyed or severely damaged, according to regional administrator Christian Pouget. The Aude prefecture has said that around 1,300 homes remain without electricity due to extensive damage to infrastructure. Emergency shelters have been set up across 17 municipalities to accommodate those displaced. Local officials urged residents not to return to affected areas without official clearance, as many roads remain inaccessible and dangerous. Tuchan mayor Béatrice Bertrand recounted the early hours of the crisis. 'On Tuesday when the fire started, we learned that the inhabitants of the nearby village of Durban-Corbières were arriving in Tuchan,' she told AP. 'We have received and hosted over 200 people. We gave them food, thanks to local businesses who opened their stores despite it being very late," Bertrand said. "Civil Protection brought us beds. And also the local villagers offered their homes to welcome them. It was their first night here and many were shocked and scared.' Authorities have launched an investigation into the origin of the fire. France's Minister for Ecological Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, described the incident as the country's most severe wildfire since 1949. Though France's national fire database has only existed since 2006, the scope and speed of the Aude blaze have alarmed officials. Southern Europe has endured several major wildfires this summer, driven by prolonged droughts and rising temperatures. Scientists have long warned that climate change is intensifying the frequency and severity of such events. Just last month, a fire near Marseille, France's second-largest city, injured around 300 people. According to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world, with temperatures rising at twice the global average since the 1980s.
LeMonde
18 hours ago
- LeMonde
French firefighters optimistic after controlling vast wildfire
French authorities said on Friday, August 8, they were counting on better weather conditions to put out the country's biggest wildfire in at least half a century near the Mediterranean coast after firefighters finally managed to bring it under control. The fire ravaged a vast area of the Aude department at the peak of the summer tourist season, killing one person and wounding several others. Experts say European countries are becoming ever more vulnerable to such disasters due to intensifying summer heatwaves linked to global warming. Firefighters announced that the Aude blaze was brought under control on Thursday, although it will still take several days before it is completely extinguished. "The weather is changing in our favor," Rémi Recio, a senior regional official who is the sub-prefect for the southern city of Narbonne told reporters, pointing to "a weakening of the wind" and rising humidity. "The light drizzle this morning is also welcome," he said in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, the town worst hit by the fire. However, the low cloud cover which helps the firefighters on the ground makes aerial operations to fight the fire more complicated. 'Complete despair' The fire, the largest for at least 50 years close to the French Mediterranean coast, swept through 17,000 hectares (4,200 acres) of vegetation in just over 48 hours. Local authorities have said that some 2,000 people evacuated and are still unable to return home. Almost 2,000 firefighters are mobilized to fight the fire. In Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, a 65-year-old woman was found dead Wednesday in her home, which was devastated by flames. The authorities said 18 people were injured: two residents who were hospitalized, one of whom suffered serious burns, as well as 16 firefighters. As well as the damage to forests, local authorities estimate that "800 to 900 hectares" of vineyards have been lost. "If we don't get help, we won't recover. We're losing a lot. It's complete despair. It outrages me, this vineyard, all these years of work, went up in smoke in an hour," Fabien Vergnes, 52, told Agence France-Presse on his 20-hectare property in Tournissan, a few kilometers from Saint-Laurent. With Europe facing new August heatwaves, many areas are on alert for wildfires. Portugal on Thursday extended emergency measures because of the heightened risk of fires. Near the Spanish town of Tarifa, fire crews secured areas near hotels and other tourist accommodations after controlling a major blaze that also destroyed hundreds of hectares.
