French firefighters optimistic after controlling vast wildfire
The fire near the Mediterranean coast 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, though it would still take several days before it is completely extinguished.
"The weather is changing in our favour," Remi 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 hit worst by the fire.
However the low cloud cover that helps the firefighters on the ground makes aerial operations to fight the fire more complicated.
Meanwhile, the weather forecast was set to be less favourable going into the weekend, with the region placed on alert for a heatwave and the wind also expected to pick up.
"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.
"It's a relief that the fire is under control, but it's still essential to show complete vigilance," she said.
- 'Complete despair' -
The fire, the largest for at least 50 years, swept through 17,000 hectares of vegetation in just over 48 hours.
Local authorities have said that around 2,000 people evacuated are still unable to return home. Almost 2,000 firefighters are mobilised 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 hospitalised, 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," Fabien Vergnes, 52, told AFP on his 20-hectare property in Tournissan outside Saint-Laurent.
"It outrages me, this vineyard, all these years of work, went up in smoke in an hour," he said.
Regional prosectors have said investigations are underway into the origin of the fire.
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 destroyed hundreds of hectares and forced the evacuation of more than 1,500 people.
The blaze, which broke out Tuesday in a wooded area near a beach outside Tarifa, a well-known hub for windsurfers, has now been brought under control, officials said.
By Hassan Ayadi With Daniel Martinez In Toulouse
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
8 hours ago
- IOL News
Flash floods in Pakistan claim over 300 lives amid heavy monsoon rains
Mourners carry the coffins of flood affected victims after flash floods in Naryean Behaak village some 36 kilometers north from Muzaffarabad. Image: Sajjad Qayyum / AFP Rescuers were struggling to retrieve bodies from debris after flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains across northern Pakistan killed at least 321 people in the past 48 hours, authorities said on Saturday. The majority of deaths, 307, were reported in mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority said. Most were killed in flash floods and collapsing houses, with the dead including 15 women and 13 children. At least 23 others were injured. The provincial rescue agency told AFP that around 2,000 rescue workers were engaged in recovering bodies from the debris and carrying out relief operations in nine affected districts where rain was still hampering efforts. People walk past scattered debris as floodwater flows near a damaged market following a flash flood in Mingora, the main city of Swat Valley. Image: Mehboob UL HAQ / AFP Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ "Heavy rainfall, landslides in several areas, and washed-out roads are causing significant challenges in delivering aid, particularly in transporting heavy machinery and ambulances," Bilal Ahmed Faizi, spokesman for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's rescue agency, told AFP. "Due to road closures in most areas, rescue workers are travelling on foot to conduct operations in remote regions," he added. "They are trying to evacuate survivors, but very few people are relocating due to the deaths of their relatives or loved ones being trapped in the debris." The provincial government has declared the severely affected mountainous districts of Buner, Bajaur, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra and Battagram as disaster-hit areas. The meteorological department has issued a heavy rain alert for Pakistan's northwest for the next few hours, urging people to take "precautionary measures". Nine more people were killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, while five died in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, the national disaster authority said. Another five people, including two pilots, were killed when a local government helicopter crashed due to bad weather during a relief mission on Friday. 'Doomsday' monsoon The monsoon season brings South Asia about three-quarters of its annual rainfall, vital for agriculture and food security, but it also brings destruction. Landslides and flash floods are common during the season, which usually begins in June and eases by the end of September. Syed Muhammad Tayyab Shah, a representative of the national disaster agency, told AFP that this year's monsoon season began earlier than usual and was expected to end later. "The next 15 days... the intensity of the monsoon will further exacerbate," he said. One resident likened the disaster to "doomsday". "I heard a loud noise as if the mountain was sliding. I rushed outside and saw the entire area shaking, like it was the end of the world," Azizullah, a resident of Buner district, where there have been dozens of deaths and injuries, told AFP. "I thought it was doomsday," he said. "The ground was trembling due to the force of the water, and it felt like death was staring me in the face." In Bajaur, a tribal district abutting Afghanistan, a crowd gathered around an excavator digging through a mud-soaked hill. On Friday, funeral prayers began in a paddock nearby, with people grieving in front of several bodies covered by blankets. The torrential rains that have pounded Pakistan since the start of the summer monsoon, described as "unusual" by authorities, have killed more than 600 people. In July, Punjab, home to nearly half of Pakistan's 255 million people, recorded 73 percent more rainfall than the previous year and more deaths than in the entire previous monsoon. Pakistan is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, and its population is contending with extreme weather events with increasing frequency. Monsoon floods in 2022 submerged a third of the country and killed around 1,700 people. Another villager in Buner told AFP locals kept on searching through the rubble throughout the night. "The entire area is reeling from profound trauma," 32-year-old local schoolteacher Saifullah Khan told AFP. "We still have no clear idea who in this small village is alive and who is dead," he added. "I help retrieve the bodies of the children I taught, I keep wondering what kind of trial nature has imposed on these kids."
eNCA
9 hours ago
- eNCA
Pakistan rescuers recover bodies after monsoon rains kill 320
ISLAMABAD - Rescuers were struggling to retrieve bodies from debris after flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains across northern Pakistan killed at least 321 people in the past 48 hours, authorities said on Saturday. The majority of deaths, 307, were reported in mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority said. Most were killed in flash floods and collapsing houses, with the dead including 15 women and 13 children. At least 23 others were injured. The provincial rescue agency told AFP that around 2,000 rescue workers were engaged in recovering bodies from the debris and carrying out relief operations in nine affected districts where rain was still hampering efforts. "Heavy rainfall, landslides in several areas, and washed-out roads are causing significant challenges in delivering aid, particularly in transporting heavy machinery and ambulances," Bilal Ahmed Faizi, spokesman for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's rescue agency, told AFP. "Due to road closures in most areas, rescue workers are travelling on foot to conduct operations in remote regions," he added. "They are trying to evacuate survivors, but very few people are relocating due to the deaths of their relatives or loved ones being trapped in the debris." AFP | Mehboob UL HAQ The provincial government has declared the severely affected mountainous districts of Buner, Bajaur, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra and Battagram as disaster-hit areas. The meteorological department has issued a heavy rain alert for Pakistan's northwest for the next few hours, urging people to take "precautionary measures". Nine more people were killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, while five died in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, the national disaster authority said. Another five people, including two pilots, were killed when a local government helicopter crashed due to bad weather during a relief mission on Friday. 'Doomsday' monsoon The monsoon season brings South Asia about three-quarters of its annual rainfall, vital for agriculture and food security, but it also brings destruction. Landslides and flash floods are common during the season, which usually begins in June and eases by the end of September. Syed Muhammad Tayyab Shah, a representative of the national disaster agency, told AFP that this year's monsoon season began earlier than usual and was expected to end later. "The next 15 days... the intensity of the monsoon will further exacerbate," he said. One resident likened the disaster to "doomsday". AFP | Sajjad QAYYUM "I heard a loud noise as if the mountain was sliding. I rushed outside and saw the entire area shaking, like it was the end of the world," Azizullah, a resident of Buner district, where there have been dozens of deaths and injuries, told AFP. "I thought it was doomsday," he said. "The ground was trembling due to the force of the water, and it felt like death was staring me in the face." In Bajaur, a tribal district abutting Afghanistan, a crowd gathered around an excavator digging through a mud-soaked hill. On Friday, funeral prayers began in a paddock nearby, with people grieving in front of several bodies covered by blankets. The torrential rains that have pounded Pakistan since the start of the summer monsoon, described as "unusual" by authorities, have killed more than 600 people. In July, Punjab, home to nearly half of Pakistan's 255 million people, recorded 73 percent more rainfall than the previous year and more deaths than in the entire previous monsoon. Pakistan is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, and its population is contending with extreme weather events with increasing frequency. Monsoon floods in 2022 submerged a third of the country and killed around 1,700 people. Another villager in Buner told AFP locals kept on searching through the rubble throughout the night. "The entire area is reeling from profound trauma," 32-year-old local schoolteacher Saifullah Khan told AFP. "We still have no clear idea who in this small village is alive and who is dead," he added. "I help retrieve the bodies of the children I taught, I keep wondering what kind of trial nature has imposed on these kids."
The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
Deadly monsoon rains lash Pakistan, killing dozens
Heavy monsoon rains trigger landslides and flash floods in northern Pakistan, leaving at least 117 dead and dozens injured. Heavy monsoon rains have triggered landslides and flash floods across a remote region of northern Pakistan, killing at least 117 people in the last 24 hours, disaster authorities said Friday. The majority of the deaths, 110, were recorded in mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). Seven more people were killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, regional disaster management authorities said. 'So far, across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, more than 110 people have died due to cloudbursts, flash floods and roof collapses,' PDMA spokesperson Anwar Shehzad told AFP. Another 60 people have been injured, he added. He said Buner, Bajaur, Mansehra and Battagram have been declared disaster-hit districts. ALSO READ: Militants kill 9, wound 6 Pakistani soldiers In Bajaur, a tribal district abutting Afghanistan, a crowd amassed around an excavator trawling a mud-soaked hill, AFP photos showed. Funeral prayers began in a paddock nearby, with people grieving in front of several bodies covered by blankets. The meteorological department has issued a heavy rain alert for the northwest, urging people to avoid 'unnecessary exposure to vulnerable areas'. In the Indian-administered part of Kashmir, a region divided with Pakistan, rescuers pulled bodies from mud and rubble on Friday after a flood crashed through a Himalayan village, killing at least 60 people and washing away dozens more. The monsoon season brings South Asia about three-quarters of its annual rainfall, vital for agriculture and food security, but it also brings destruction. Landslides and flash floods are common during the season, which usually begins in June and eases by the end of September. ALSO READ: SA Indians warned about fraud and extortion calls from fake Indian consulate employee Scientists say that climate change has made weather events around the world more extreme and more frequent. Pakistan is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, and its population is contending with extreme weather events with increasing frequency. The torrential rains that have pounded Pakistan since the start of the summer monsoon, described as 'unusual' by authorities, have killed more than 320 people, nearly half of them children. Most of the deaths were caused by collapsing houses, flash floods and electrocutions. In July, Punjab, home to nearly half of Pakistan's 255 million people, recorded 73 percent more rainfall than the previous year and more deaths than in the entire previous monsoon. In 2022, monsoon floods submerged a third of the country and killed 1,700 people. NOW READ: Hawks successfully oppose bail in case of a Pakistani national's kidnapping – By: © Agence France-Presse
