A devastating wildfire has been raging across southern France, with firefighters warning that the blaze could reignite as the region faces a scorching heatwave. The fire, which has ravaged a vast area of France’s southern Aude region, larger than the size of the nation’s capital, has killed one person and injured several others. According to disaster officials, the blaze is the largest in at least 50 years.
“It’s a challenging day, given that we are likely to be on red alert for heatwave from 4:00 pm (14:00 GMT), which will not make things any easier,” said Christian Pouget, Aude’s prefect. The fire is no longer spreading but is still burning within a 16,000-hectare area. Christophe Magny, chief of the region’s firefighter unit, said the blaze will “not be extinguished for several weeks”.
Some 1,300 firefighters were mobilized to prevent the blaze from reigniting, with temperatures expected to hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas. Monday is forecast to be the “hottest day nationwide,” according to national weather service Meteo France.
The wildfire has had a significant impact on local communities, with one resident suffering serious burns and four lightly injured. Nineteen firefighters were also hurt in the battle to contain the blaze. Emmanuelle Bernier, a local farmer, said she was “extremely angry” when she returned to her devastated farm, where 17 animals were lost in the fire. “I will definitely change jobs. This will change my whole life,” she told AFP.
Prime Minister Francois Bayrou visited the area, calling the wildfire a “catastrophe on an unprecedented scale”. Bayrou emphasized the link between global warming and drought, saying, “What is happening today is linked to global warming and linked to drought”.
Wildfires are not limited to France, with other European countries also battling blazes. Italian firefighters tackled a wildfire on Mount Vesuvius, with all hiking routes up the volcano near Naples closed to tourists. In Greece, emergency services brought numerous fires under control, but new outbreaks are likely due to a lasting drought and strong winds. The region southeast of Athens was particularly hard-hit, with almost 1,600 hectares of agricultural land, forest, and scrubland destroyed.