Firefighters and local authorities remained on high alert Friday after France’s largest wildfire in decades was contained in the south, as soaring temperatures risk reigniting the blaze.
Over three days, the fire engulfed more than 160 square kilometers (62 square miles) in the Aude wine region, claiming one life and forcing hundreds to evacuate.
Fueled by hot, dry weather, the blaze spread rapidly, stretching a 90-kilometer perimeter. Officials warned vigilance is crucial through the weekend as another heat wave pushes temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).
Region administrator Christian Pouget said roughly 1,000 residents remain displaced after the fire swept through 15 communes in the Corbieres Mountains, damaging or destroying at least 36 homes. One person died at home, and at least 13 others were injured – including 11 firefighters.
Residents have been warned not to return home without authorization, as many roads remain blocked and dangerous. Those forced to flee have been housed in emergency shelters across 17 municipalities.
“On Tuesday, when the fire started, we learned that the inhabitants of the nearby village of Durban-Corbieres were arriving in Tuchan,” Beatrice Bertrand, the mayor of Tuchan, told The Associated Press (AP). “We have received and hosted over 200 people. We gave them food, thanks to local businesses who opened their stores despite it being very late.
“Civil Protection brought us beds. Also, the local villagers offered their homes to welcome them. It was their first night here, and many were shocked and scared.”
An investigation is underway to determine what sparked the fire.
The fire was the largest recorded since France’s national fire database was created in 2006. But France’s minister for ecological transition, Agnes Pannier-Runacher, called the blaze the worst since 1949 and linked it to climate change.
Southern Europe has seen multiple large fires this summer. Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires. Last month, a wildfire that reached the southern port of Marseille, France’s second-largest city, left about 300 people injured.
Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing at twice the speed of the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
