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Local France
3 days ago
- Climate
- 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
Local France
5 days ago
- Climate
- Local France
IN PICTURES: Massive wildfire burns through southern France
The fire broke out in southern France in the Aude département, burning in the Corbières massif between Narbonne and Carcassonne. READ ALSO : Evacuations, road closures, maps: The latest on wildfire in southern France One woman has died and nine people have been injured. In total, 25 homes have been destroyed or damaged by the flames as of Wednesday morning. READ MORE: One dead and nine injured in massive wildfire in southern France In the town of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabreisse, the damage was particularly evident. The remains of a home and car in the village of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabreisse on August 6th. (Photo by Idriss BIGOU-GILLES / AFP) Authorities mobilised over 1,800 firefighters to battle the flames, but the fire was still spreading quickly on Wednesday morning. Firefighters at work in Tournissan, southwestern France, on August 5, 2025. (Photo by Idriss BIGOU-GILLES / AFP) As of Wednesday morning, local officials reported that over 11,000 hectares - an area equivalent to the size of Paris - had been burned. This photograph shows burnt vehicles in an area devastated by a wildfire near Fontjoncouse, southwestern France, on August 6, 2025. (Photo by Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP) Helicopters have been used by civil security to drop water over the wildfire. Advertisement A helicopter drops water in Jonquières, southwestern France, on August 5, 2025. (Photo by Idriss BIGOU-GILLES / AFP) Canadairs were also mobilised to drop fire retardant. This photograph shows a canadair of the French civil security droping fire retardant over a wildfire near Fontjoncouse, southwestern France, on August 6, 2025. (Photo by Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP) The fire has now been ranked as the largest France has seen since the start of July. A forest is engulfed in flames as a wildfire rages near Fontjoncouse, southwestern France, on August 6, 2025. (Photo by Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP) On Tuesday night, the smoke from the fast-moving fire was visible from the Mediterranean coast in Banyuls-sur-Mer. Tourists sit on the beach as smoke from nearby wildfires fills the sky, on August 5th. (Photo by OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE / AFP) The fire has spread exceptionally rapidly due to strong winds and parched vegetation. #Incendie 🔴🔥 Cette image glaçante d'un paysage qui se consume inexorablement dans l'Aude. 📸 Préfet 11 — Stéven Tual (@StevenTual_off) August 6, 2025
