
French Winegrowers Say Fire Damage to Vineyards Is Enormous
'The situation is catastrophic' for winegrowers, Franck Saillan, general secretary of the Aude winegrowers syndicate, said in an interview on Thursday.
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Firefighters battle to avoid reignition of France's largest wildfire in decades
About 1,400 firefighters were deployed in France's southern Aude region to prevent the country's largest wildfire in decades from reigniting, as all residents were allowed to return to their homes. Aude prefect Christian Pouget said the fire has been contained since Thursday after burning this week more than 160 square kilometres (62 square miles) in the wooded region, known for its wineries. All roads have been reopened but authorities issued a strict ban on accessing the forest, Mr Pouget said at a news conference on Saturday. 'The fight is continuing, firefighters are still working on (fire) reignition,' he said. The blaze left one person dead and 25 people have been injured, including 19 firefighters, Mr Pouget said. High temperatures in the coming days are expected to complicate firefighters' efforts. 'The fire won't be extinguished for several weeks,' Colonel Christophe Magny, director of the Aude fire department, said, pointing to several 'hot spots' that are being closely monitored. France's national weather agency Meteo France placed the southern half of France on a 'high vigilance' alert for a heatwave, with temperatures expected in the Aude region of up to 39C on Saturday. In neighbouring Spain, firefighters continued to battle a wildfire in Avila province, over 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of Madrid. Victor Fernandez, a technician at the advanced command post, told reporters on Saturday the fire was being contained but warned the next hours would be 'critical'. Extreme temperatures are expected to continue until at least next week, according to Spain's national weather service. The fire began on Friday afternoon with the Spanish Military Emergencies Unit working through the night to bring it under control and prevent it from approaching roads and train lines. 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.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
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Overcrowded French prison swelters in 'unbearable' heat
Inmates at a prison in southwestern France are struggling to cope as a heatwave grips the region, with high temperatures set to persist through the weekend. Fans hummed in every corner, and sheets hung from windows at an overcrowded prison near the city of Toulouse, where inmates tried to cool down as temperatures pushed past 36 degrees Celsius, an AFP journalist observed on Thursday. Southern France is in the grip of a heatwave, and for inmates at the Seysses detention centre, that heat is "unbearable", one detainee said. But like many prisons in France, Seysses is overcrowded — in June, it held on average more than twice its capacity. "Having two people per cell has become the exception," said one guard, whose name like all the detainees interviewed cannot be published. With detention centres across the country at over capacity and facilities ill-suited to ever more frequent heatwaves, guards and inmates alike worry about the impact of the heat. Heat can create security risks, with fights becoming "more frequent" as temperatures rise, the guard said. "The slightest annoyance can spark a fight." Temperatures this weekend are expected to hit 40C in some areas and Monday forecast to be the "hottest day nationwide," according to national weather service Meteo France. At the prison, "you can really feel the 38 degrees. The walls absorb the heat. There's condensation," the detainee said, speaking from the 9-square-metre cell he shares with two other people. "We're not going to ask for air conditioning, that's not going to happen, but we would like more ventilation or a larger cell," he said. -'No choice'- As the planet warms as a result of humanity's emissions of greenhouse gases, experts say heatwaves are likely to become more frequent across Europe. For detainees at Seysses, a two-hour break in an asphalt courtyard with no trees offers little reprieve, with mist sprayers not due to be installed until next summer. An inmate in the women's section of the prison said she and her fellow prisoners just stayed in their cells because it was too hot to go outside. For the inmates who did venture into the recreation yard, most stayed in the shade, though a few did some push-ups or pull-ups even in the blistering heat. Prison staff distributed free water and provided fans and hats to the most vulnerable individuals, including those over 75 years old or those with health issues. But the prison's facilities, including a poorly ventilated library and a gym, with tiny windows and a single fan, offer little escape from the heat. "It's hot in there, but when there are a lot of them, it gets very, very hot very quickly," said a guard, describing the workout room. Even sleep brings little relief, said one recent arrival in the women's section of the prison, which is built for 40 people but holding 80. The inmate, who shares her cell with two other detainees, said she has no alternative but to sleep on a mattress on the floor. Sleeping is "difficult, because it's concrete and during the summer, it's quite hot," she said. "But we have no choice." vgr-ekf/gv

Yahoo
13 hours ago
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Massive French wildfire 'contained' but unlikely to be under control until late Sunday
France's biggest wildfire in decades has been contained, officials said Saturday, but warned that 'until Sunday evening the fire will not be under control'. Hot winds and 40°C heat are threatening to reignite the blaze that has killed one person and torn through 16,000 hectares in the southern Aude department. French firefighters said Saturday that the country's biggest wildfire in at least half a century was contained but would not be brought under control before Sunday evening. The fire near the Mediterranean coast has ravaged a vast area of the southern Aude department at the peak of the summer tourist season, killing one person and injuring several others. "The fire is contained but ... until Sunday evening the fire will not be under control," said Christophe Magny, chief of the region's firefighter unit. Authorities warned that Sunday's forecasted hot, dry winds – similar to those when the fire began – and a heatwave alert with temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius would keep the some 1,400 firefighters mobilised on high alert. "The firefighters will do their utmost before the return of the tramontane" this weekend, the president of the Aude departmental council, Helene Sandragne, told AFP, referring to a northerly wind that regularly blows through the area. The blaze – the largest in at least 50 years – tore through 16,000 hectares of vegetation, disaster officials said, revising an earlier estimate of 17,000 hectares. About 2,000 people were evacuated, though local authorities allowed them to return home on Friday evening. In Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, a 65-year-old woman was found dead 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. (FRANCE 24 with AFP)