Paris, August 7 (ANI): Firefighters in France are battling the country’s largest wildfire in nearly eight decades for a third consecutive day, with more than 16,000 hectares already scorched in the southern region of Aude, France 24 reported.
One person has died, three are reported missing, and two others—including a firefighter—are in critical condition.
According to France 24, the wildfire began on Tuesday about 100 kilometers from the Spanish border near the Mediterranean Sea. It has since spread rapidly and remains uncontrolled. “As of now, the fire has not been brought under control,” said Christophe Magny, one of the officials leading the firefighting operation, in an interview with BFM TV. “I hope the blaze could be contained later in the day,” he added.
Drone footage shared by Reuters TV and cited by France 24 showed vast stretches of charred forest and heavy smoke rising across the region. Officials confirmed that the affected area is now one-and-a-half times the size of Paris, making it the largest wildfire in France since 1949.
Speaking to France Info radio, Environment Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher said the fire was now advancing more slowly. “The fire is now advancing more slowly,” she stated.
France 24 also reported that the national weather office has issued a warning for a new heatwave expected to begin Friday in other parts of southern France, which could last for several days.
Last month, a wildfire that reached the southern port city of Marseille left around 300 people injured, highlighting the escalating wildfire threat across southern Europe this summer.
Climate scientists continue to warn that rising global temperatures are driving the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires in Europe. According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, Europe has been warming at twice the global average since the 1980s.
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