France is grappling with its most devastating wildfire in 75 years, as over 2,000 firefighters and 500 firefighting vehicles remain deployed in the Aude region to battle a blaze that has consumed more than 16,000 hectares an area larger than Paris.
The fire, which erupted on Tuesday near the village of Ribaute in southern France, has already claimed the life of an elderly woman and left 13 others injured, including 11 firefighters. Two of the injured remain in critical condition. Authorities have also reported three people missing and confirmed the destruction of dozens of homes.
Christophe Magny, one of the officials leading the firefighting effort, told France Info on Thursday that crews hoped to contain the blaze later in the day. Overnight, cooler temperatures and reduced winds slowed the fire’s spread, while water-bombing aircraft aided ground crews. Still, villages in the Corbières region remain on high alert, with residents urged not to return home. Seventeen temporary shelters have been set up for displaced families.
Prime Minister François Bayrou, visiting the disaster zone on Wednesday, called the wildfire a “catastrophe on an unprecedented scale” and linked its severity to global warming and prolonged drought conditions. Environment Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher echoed these concerns, warning that climate change is making such disasters more frequent and intense.
The blaze’s rapid spread has been fuelled by a combination of strong winds, parched vegetation, and sweltering summer temperatures. Jacques Piraud, mayor of Jonquières, where about 80% of the village has been destroyed, described the aftermath as “dramatic… it’s black, the trees are completely charred.”
Satellite images from Thursday showed vast swathes of scorched land and thick smoke plumes drifting across the region. Officials say the scale of destruction is the worst since 1949, underscoring the growing vulnerability of rural communities to extreme weather events.
President Emmanuel Macron has pledged full national support, stating that “all of the nation’s resources are mobilised” and urging citizens to exercise “the utmost caution.” As firefighters work tirelessly to contain the inferno, France faces a sobering reminder of the mounting dangers posed by a warming climate.
