France races to contain southern wildfire as heatwave intensifies across Europe

SAINT-LAURENT-DE-LA-CABRERISSE, France: Firefighters in southern France worked on Thursday (August 7) to halt the country’s largest wildfire of the summer, which has claimed one life, injured more than a dozen, and scorched thousands of hectares of land.

Officials said the focus was on stabilising the blaze before weather conditions worsen later in the day. Around 2,000 firefighters remained deployed across the Aude department, where the fire began on Tuesday.

“The objective is to stabilise the fire,” said Christophe Magny, chief of the Aude department’s firefighter unit. “We have to remain cautious.”

Captain Jean-Marie Aversinq, a spokesman for France’s national fire service, said Thursday marked a “decisive day” in efforts to turn back the blaze. The next stage, he said, would be “flooding and treatment” of the affected areas.

Authorities said the fire had slowed overnight compared to earlier in the week, when it was spreading at a rate of about 1,000 hectares per hour. By Thursday morning, it had burned approximately 17,000 hectares.

THOUSANDS REMAIN EVACUATED

Local temperatures were forecast to reach 32°C on Thursday, with stronger winds expected in the afternoon. Fire crews warned conditions could again become volatile.

The fire has left 13 people injured, including 11 firefighters. A 65-year-old woman who refused evacuation was found dead inside her home.

Roughly 3,000 homes remained at risk, and around 1,000 residents who were evacuated had not yet been allowed to return, officials said.

In the hardest-hit village of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, smoke continued to rise from pine-covered hills on Thursday, while helicopters dropped water over burning grasslands near vineyards. Fire engines patrolled the area, according to AFP journalists on site.

Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, visiting the region on Wednesday, described the fire as a “catastrophe on an unprecedented scale” and blamed global warming and prolonged drought.

“This is linked to climate change,” Bayrou said.

INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY

Authorities have opened an investigation into the cause of the fire, though no leads had been confirmed as of Thursday. The Aude department has seen a rise in fire-prone zones, driven by low rainfall and the removal of vineyards that once helped prevent flames from spreading.

“It’s terrible for the wildlife, the flora, and for the people who are losing everything,” said Aude Damesin, a resident of nearby Fabrezan.

Emergency services said France had already seen nearly 9,000 wildfires this summer, many concentrated along the Mediterranean coast.

SPANISH FIREFIGHTERS CONTAIN BLAZE NEAR TARIFA

In neighbouring Spain, officials said a wildfire near the tourist town of Tarifa had been brought under control. The fire had triggered the evacuation of about 1,550 people and 5,500 vehicles from campsites, homes and hotels.

Antonio Sanz, interior minister for Andalusia’s regional government, said on X that residents were cleared to return after the fire was “stabilised”.

Spanish media reported the blaze started in a camper van parked near a beachside campsite and spread quickly due to strong winds.

Spain is enduring a summer heatwave, with temperatures approaching 40°C in many regions. Health authorities reported over 1,000 excess deaths in July linked to the extreme heat.

CLIMATE FEARS RISING

Climate scientists warn that global warming is fuelling longer and more intense heatwaves, increasing the risk of major wildfires across Europe.

“The climate crisis is at our doorstep,” World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X. “If action is not taken promptly and collectively, it’s a matter of ‘when’ not ‘if’ the next catastrophe takes place.”

He added that his thoughts were with those affected by the fires in France.