One dead and thousands without power as wildfire spreads in France
An elderly woman died and another person is missing after a solid forest fire swept parts in the south of France, destroying houses and forcing thousands of people to flee.
The woman died in her home, seven firefighters were also treated for smoke inhalation and a person is still missing, the authorities said. Two people are in the hospital, one of which is in critical condition.
The fire broke out on Tuesday near the village of La Ribaute in the Aude region, and has already burned more than 13,000 hectares (50 km2) – a larger area than Paris – which makes it the largest fire in France this year.
More than 1,800 firefighters, supported by 500 vehicles, were deployed in the region.
The fire destroyed an area larger than Paris [Getty Images]
The main affected villages are Lagrasse, Fabrezan, Tonnissan, Coustouge and Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse.
The officials say that the fire is progressing rapidly, driven by strong winds, dry vegetation and hot summer weather.
Jacques Piraud, mayor of the village of Jonquières, where at least four houses burned, told Le Monde that around 80% of the village was burned.
“It’s dramatic. His black, the trees are completely charred,” he said.
The images show blackened, burned cars and people were sitting on beaches at three o’clock where thick black clouds were still visible.
“This is an unprecedented disaster,” said firefighters Eric Brocardi to RTL Radio.
At least 25 houses have been destroyed and more than 2,500 households are without electricity. The authorities closed roads across the region and warned that it was still too dangerous for residents who fled Tuesday evening to go home.
President Emmanuel Macron expressed support for firefighters and local officials on X, saying that all government resources were mobilized. He urged residents to follow the evacuation orders and exercise “the greatest caution”.
Tourists sit on the beach while smoke from forest fires blocks the sun. [Getty Images]
Prime Minister François Bayrou should visit the area affected later on Wednesday.
Lucie Roesch, secretary general of the Aude region, said the firefighters were monitoring the scope of the fire to prevent new epidemics. She said: “The fire is advancing in an area where all the conditions are ripe for it to progress.”
The region has become more and more vulnerable in recent years due to the drop in precipitation and the elimination of vineyards, which has once helped to slow the spread of forest fires.
Despite the planes that drop water bombs on the flames, Roesch warned that the fire “will keep us busy for several days. It is a long -term operation”.
The trees burn during a forest fire, near Narbonne, in the south of France [Reuters]
A combination of low precipitation, high temperatures and withdrawal of vineyards – which once helped to act as natural breeze – has made the worsening of fire conditions in Aude.
Scientists have long warned that hot and arrow summers of the Mediterranean make up the region at high risk of serious forest fires. According to the emergency management department of France, nearly 15,000 hectares (57.9 square miles) burned nationally this summer in more than 9,000 separate fires. Aude’s fire now explains the vast majority of damage.
