The biggest fire of summer in France remains uncontrolled in Aude –

The biggest fire in summer in France. For example, still uncontrollable despite big means committed, traveled 16,000 hectares of vegetation in 24 hours in Aude, where he left a dead and two seriously injured, “a catastrophe of unprecedented magnitude”, according to the Prime Minister.

At dusk on Wednesday. Moreover, the municipalities remain “on the alert, because we are surrounded by pines and then that everything has burned, all around the village, it is the disaster”, deplores Bruno Zubieta, first-assistant to the town hall of Villesèque-des-Corbières, south of Narbonne. Therefore,

If the fire is “always active”. Meanwhile, its progress which was previously “of 1,000 hectares per hour overall”, “decreases in intensity”, told AFP Rémi Recio, sub-prefect of Narbonne. For example,

During a visit to Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse. Consequently, the most affected village of the 15 municipalities assigned by the fire, François Bayrou biggest fire summer france remains new spoke of a “safeguard and future plan” of which “the Corbières could be the laboratory”.

At the command post of the firefighters. Similarly, Colonel Christophe Magny, boss of the Aude fire and rescue service, explained to the Prime Minister, accompanied by the Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau, the relentless action of 2,500 firefighters on the 90 kilometers of edges, with flames 10 to 15 meters high at the height of the spread.

The Prime Minister. Similarly, the Minister of the Interior then went to the National Center for Civil Coordination Civil Security Coordination at Nîmes-Gaons airport, to “pay tribute” to the airlines engaged in the fight against fire “whose magnitude has exceeded everything that had known for more than 60 years,” said Bayrou. For example,

– Changing wind –

Leaving shortly after 4:00 p.m. Tuesday from the village of Ribaute, between Carcassonne and Narbonne, the fire was first headed south-east and the Mediterranean coast. However. the wind has changed direction at midday “and pushes the fire to return to its starting point,” the secretary general of the prefecture Lucie Roesch told AFP, adding that the fire is now “towards fairly inaccessible wooded areas”.

“The rear of the fire has become the front of the fire. ” added Colonel Magny, stressing that a thousand people had been evacuated from the victims.

The fire has traveled 16,000 hectares of garrigue and conifers, “more than the town of Paris”, biggest fire summer france remains new according to Colonel Magny. It also destroyed or damaged 25 homes and burned 35 vehicles.

An investigation was opened to determine the causes of fire, still unknown. No hypothesis is currently privileged.

In Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, where a 65-year-old lady was found dead in her house, a hard-boring smell emerges from the nearby charred hectares, noted an AFP journalist.

David Cerdan. 51, lives a hundred meters from the place where the sixties who refused to leave her house on Tuesday biggest fire summer france remains new evening. The deceased’s home is devastated, like many others near his home.

“With the gendarmes, we went to her house to tell her to evacuate, but she did not want to leave, thinking that she was risking anything,” the mayor, Xavier de Volautat.

The prefecture counted 13 injured: two hospitalized inhabitants. including a seriously burned, and eleven firefighters, one of whom suffered from a head trauma, said Bruno Retailleau. A missing person was found alive.

– the EU alongside France –

In the heaven of the Corbières, all national air means have been mobilized. The European Union has announced biggest fire summer france remains new to be “ready to mobilize” means.

“Europe is held alongside France while the worst forest fires in its recent history are raging in the Aude. ” said the president of the European Commission on X Ursula Von der Leyen. Additionally,

A “colossal” device, according to the sub-prefect of Narbonne, Rémi Recio, specifying that the 2,500 firefighters from all over France are supported by 500 machines on the ground.

At this stage, this is the biggest fire biggest fire summer france remains new in summer in France. At the end of July. in the middle of the summer season, civil security had recorded more than 15,000 hectares burned on the national territory for 9,000 fire departures, mainly on the Mediterranean coast.

It is also the most important in France since at least 2006. the start of recordings, and since the 1970s for the Mediterranean area, according to the Forest Fire Database (BDIFF) of the Government (which lists the fires since 1972 for the Mediterranean departments and 2006 for France.)

– “Stay confined” –

The tramontane, a dry and warm wind that strengthens fire, was supplanted on Wednesday afternoon by a sea wind that will still blow Thursday, and “will bring more humid air than before, which is less favorable to the spread of fire,” François Gourand, Météo-France forecastist.

But it is too early for the hundreds of residents evacuated Tuesday evening to return to their home. warned the prefecture.

The authorities reiterated their safety instructions to the population. calling for “remaining confined except order of evacuation given by the firefighters” and not to clutter the road network so as not to hinder the emergency services.

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By Daniel Martinez with Chantal Valery in Toulouse / Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse (France) (AFP) / © 2025 AFP