Great French wildfire handled but 'not under control'

(MENAFN) French authorities announced on Saturday that the country’s largest wildfire in at least 50 years has been contained, though it is not expected to be fully under control until Sunday evening. The fire, which swept through southern Aude near the Mediterranean coast, has destroyed 16,000 hectares of land, killed one person, and injured several others.

Christophe Magny, head of the regional firefighting unit, said the fire is currently contained but warned that hot, dry winds forecast for Sunday and ongoing heatwave conditions with temperatures around 40°C would keep the roughly 1,400 firefighters on high alert. Helene Sandragne, president of the Aude departmental council, noted that teams are working intensively ahead of the return of the northerly “tramontane” winds this weekend.

About 2,000 residents were evacuated, although most were allowed to return home on Friday evening. Among the casualties, a 65-year-old woman died when flames engulfed her home in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, one resident sustained serious burns, and 19 firefighters were injured, including one with a head injury.

Experts have highlighted that such extreme fires are becoming more frequent across Europe due to intensifying summer heatwaves linked to climate change.

MENAFN18082025000045015687ID1109941548