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Local France
10-08-2025
- Climate
- Local France
'Challenging day' for firefighters battling huge blaze in France
The fire, which has ravaged a vast area of France's southern Aude department, killing one person and injuring several others, comes as parts of the Mediterranean region face a heatwave. Authorities said that hot, dry winds on Sunday -- similar to those on the day the blaze began -- and a heatwave would make the work of firefighters more difficult. "With temperatures approaching 40 degrees Celsius, there is a major risk of fire," said local official Herve Baro. Some 1,300 firefighters were drafted in to stop the blaze from flaring up amid fears that winds blowing around 50 kilometres (30 miles) per hour could fan lingering hot spots. "It's going to be a challenging day," said Christian Pouget, prefect of the Aude department, citing the weather conditions. The fire is no longer spreading but is still burning within a 16,000-hectare (40,000-acre) area, said the chief of the region's firefighter unit Christophe Magny on Saturday, adding it would not be under control until Sunday evening. But the blaze will "not be extinguished for several weeks," he said. People walk through a burnt-out farm following wildfires in Fontjoncouse, southern France on August 9, 2025. (Photo by Idriss Bigou-Gilles / AFP) Temperatures in the coming days are expected to hit 42C in some areas, according to national weather service Meteo France. In Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, a 65-year-old woman was found dead on Wednesday in her home, which was devastated by flames. Advertisement Authorities said one resident suffered serious burns and four others were lightly injured, while 19 firefighters were hurt, including one with a head injury. 'Extremely angry' The blaze -- the largest in at least 50 years -- tore through 16,000 hectares of vegetation, disaster officials said. For livestock farmers in Fontjoncouse, the fire has ravaged grazing land and wiped out much of their flocks, fuelling outrage among those who said they did not have time to evacuate their herds. READ ALSO: MAP: Which parts of France suffer the most wildfires Emmanuelle Bernier said she was "extremely angry" when she returned to a devastating scene, finding the pen that had housed her herd of goats in ruins, with 17 animals -- some close to giving birth -- lost in the fire. "I will definitely change jobs. This will change my whole life," she said. Advertisement Bernier's property now holds only a few geese and two sick goats after she entrusted her surviving sheep to a local winegrower, the farm too damaged for them to stay. But as she surveyed the scorched landscape, Bernier voiced some hope for the future. "There's still a little life left," she said. 'Hard to bear' Experts warn that European countries are becoming ever more vulnerable to such disasters due to intensifying summer heatwaves linked to global warming. A beekeeper looks at a burnt hive following wildfires in Fontjoncouse, southern France on August 9, 2025. (Photo by Idriss Bigou-Gilles / AFP) There has been "an acceleration in the occurrence of heatwaves" linked to climate change, Meteo France said, noting the country has had only two summers without such episodes in the past 16 years. Residents of southern France said the high temperatures are becoming unbearable, especially for the most vulnerable, including the elderly or children. "I've never experienced a heatwave as hard to bear as this year, said Monique Beluy, 81, in the southern city of Marseille, who worries about living alone. I'm feeling less and less calm given my age and my health. I know I'm more vulnerable," she said. The heatwave is forecast to peak between Monday and Tuesday, but high temperatures are likely to persist through the end of the week, according to Meteo France.
Local France
08-08-2025
- 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
