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France 24
6 days ago
- Climate
- France 24
Massive French wildfire 'contained' but unlikely to be under control until late Sunday
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.
Jordan Times
6 days ago
- Climate
- Jordan Times
Massive French wildfire contained but 'not under control'
DURBAN-CORBIÈRES, France — 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.
Arab News
6 days ago
- Climate
- Arab News
Massive French wildfire contained but ‘not under control'
DURBAN-CORBIERES, France: 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 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 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 mobilized 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, said, referring to a northerly wind that regularly blows through 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 2,000 people were evacuated, though local authorities allowed them to return home on Friday Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, a 65-year-old woman was found dead Wednesday in her home, which was devastated by said one resident suffered serious burns and four others were slightly injured, while 19 firefighters were hurt, including one with a head say European countries are becoming ever more vulnerable to such disasters due to intensifying summer heatwaves linked to global warming.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Massive French wildfire contained but 'not under control'
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. skh-ap-ekf/giv
CNA
07-08-2025
- Climate
- CNA
France races to contain southern wildfire as heatwave intensifies across Europe
SAINT-LAURENT-DE-LA-CABRERISSE, FRANCE: Firefighters in southern France worked on Thursday (August 7) to halt the country's largest wildfire of the summer, which has claimed one life, injured more than a dozen, and scorched thousands of hectares of land. Officials said the focus was on stabilising the blaze before weather conditions worsen later in the day. Around 2,000 firefighters remained deployed across the Aude department, where the fire began on Tuesday. 'The objective is to stabilise the fire,' said Christophe Magny, chief of the Aude department's firefighter unit. 'We have to remain cautious.' Captain Jean-Marie Aversinq, a spokesman for France's national fire service, said Thursday marked a 'decisive day' in efforts to turn back the blaze. The next stage, he said, would be 'flooding and treatment' of the affected areas. Authorities said the fire had slowed overnight compared to earlier in the week, when it was spreading at a rate of about 1,000 hectares per hour. By Thursday morning, it had burned approximately 17,000 hectares. THOUSANDS REMAIN EVACUATED Local temperatures were forecast to reach 32°C (90°F) on Thursday, with stronger winds expected in the afternoon. Fire crews warned conditions could again become volatile. The fire has left 13 people injured, including 11 firefighters. A 65-year-old woman who refused evacuation was found dead inside her home. Roughly 3,000 homes remained at risk, and around 1,000 residents who were evacuated had not yet been allowed to return, officials said. In the hardest-hit village of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, smoke continued to rise from pine-covered hills on Thursday, while helicopters dropped water over burning grasslands near vineyards. Fire engines patrolled the area, according to AFP journalists on site. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, visiting the region on Wednesday, described the fire as a 'catastrophe on an unprecedented scale' and blamed global warming and prolonged drought. 'This is linked to climate change,' Bayrou said. INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY Authorities have opened an investigation into the cause of the fire, though no leads had been confirmed as of Thursday. The Aude department has seen a rise in fire-prone zones, driven by low rainfall and the removal of vineyards that once helped prevent flames from spreading. 'It's terrible for the wildlife, the flora, and for the people who are losing everything,' said Aude Damesin, a resident of nearby Fabrezan. Emergency services said France had already seen nearly 9,000 wildfires this summer, many concentrated along the Mediterranean coast. SPANISH FIREFIGHTERS CONTAIN BLAZE NEAR TARIFA In neighbouring Spain, officials said a wildfire near the tourist town of Tarifa had been brought under control. The fire had triggered the evacuation of about 1,550 people and 5,500 vehicles from campsites, homes and hotels. Antonio Sanz, interior minister for Andalusia's regional government, said on X that residents were cleared to return after the fire was 'stabilised.' Spanish media reported the blaze started in a camper van parked near a beachside campsite and spread quickly due to strong winds. Spain is enduring a summer heatwave, with temperatures approaching 40°C in many regions. Health authorities reported over 1,000 excess deaths in July linked to the extreme heat. CLIMATE FEARS RISING Climate scientists warn that global warming is fuelling longer and more intense heatwaves, increasing the risk of major wildfires across Europe. 'The climate crisis is at our doorstep,' World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X. 'If action is not taken promptly and collectively, it's a matter of 'when' not 'if' the next catastrophe takes place.'
