Map of France wildfires shows where the Aude region is as blaze intensifies | News World

France’s largest wildfire in many years is constant to burn and spread across the south of the country, leaving miles value of land damaged, local authorities have said.

The blaze began on Tuesday and tore through the Corbieres Massif, a mountain range within the Pre-Pyrenees situated within the Aude region.

Greater than 2,100 firefighters have battled the fireplace over the past few days, with French authorities instructing water bomber aircraft to shower the world to dampen the flames.

The fireplace’s rapid spread was fuelled by weeks of hot, dry weather, though cooler temperatures and calmer winds overnight helped barely ease the situation.

Administrator for the region, Christian Pouget, told broadcaster BFMTV: ‘The battle continues, we’ve got a fireplace that is just not yet under control.’

The fireplace has swept through 15 communes within the Corbieres Massif, destroying or damaging at the very least 36 homes, with a full damage assessment still under way.

Meanwhile, residents and tourists in nearby areas have been asked to stay of their homes unless told to evacuate.

Those that had already fled the flames were sheltered overnight in temporary accommodation centres in 17 municipalities.

One person has died, and at the very least 13 others were injured, including 11 firefighters. Three people have been reported missing.

An investigation is ongoing to find out the reason for the fireplace, which has left a blackened landscape of skeletal trees and ash.

Where are the wildfires in southern France?

The fireplace began within the village of Ribaute, about 69 miles south east of the town of Toulouse within the south of France.

It then spread to the Corbières Massif, six miles west.

Xavier de Volontat, the mayor of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, chatting with BFMTV, said: ‘It’s very sad to think in regards to the image we’re going to present of our Corbieres region, with its devastated landscapes and desperate men and women, not only today or tomorrow, but for weeks and months to come back. It would take years to rebuild.’

It’s essentially the most significant fire France has faced since 1949, in keeping with Agnes Pannier-Runacher, France’s minister for ecological transition.

‘The night was cooler, so the fireplace is spreading more slowly, nevertheless it stays essentially the most significant fire France has seen since 1949.

‘It’s a fireplace that’s clearly a consequence of climate change and drought on this region.’

Where is the Aude region in France?

The Aude region is situated within the south west of France, near the borders of Spain and Andorra.

The closest large city is Toulouse, situated just north of the region, and comprises towns popular with British tourists, including Carcassonne, Narbonne and Perpignan.

Wildfires in Europe: Where they’re happening

Wildfires have been raging this summer in Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria amid a 44°C heatwave, ongoing droughts and robust winds.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s been happening in each country.

Turkey

Wildfires have engulfed Turkey for the previous few weeks, with its fourth largest city of Bursa being badly hit two weekends ago.

Greater than 3,500 people were forced to flee their homes in villages to the northeast as greater than 1,900 firefighters battled the flames.

The highway linking the town to the capital, Ankara, was shut as surrounding forests burned.

4 people died in the world. Their deaths raised Turkey’s wildfire fatalities to 17 since June, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry employees killed on Wednesday.

Orhan Saribal, an opposition parliamentarian for Bursa, described the location as ‘an apocalypse’.

He added on X: ‘While carrying water to the forest fire between Gürsu and Kestel districts, the water tanker that rolled right into a ravine claimed the lives of our three employee brothers.

‘As our lungs burned, this tragedy added a heartache to our pain. I wish mercy for our brothers and condolences to their families, family members, and our Bursa.’

Footage revealed an ashen landscape where farms and pine forests had earlier stood.

The rise in wildfires comes as Turkey recorded its highest ever temperature of fifty.5°C within the southeastern Sirnak province on Friday.

Greece

In neighbouring Greece, 50 fires scorched the suburbs of Athens, forcing the federal government to evacuate residents in July.

Firefighters were working on five major fronts in the world of Peloponnese, west of the capital, in addition to on the islands of Evia, Kythera and Crete.

Kythera, a tourist island with 3,600 residents, continued to face ‘worrying’ conditions.

Deputy mayor Giorgos Komninos told the state-run ERT News channel that half of Kythera had been charred.

He said: ‘Houses, beehives, olive trees have been burnt.’

ERT reported that a fire was still burning on the island late Sunday, but in smaller fronts and the situation was improving.

Prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in an announcement released on Sunday morning: ‘The state mechanism was called to interact in a titanic battle, concurrently responding to dozens of wildfires across the country.

‘Today, the situation appears improved, however the fight continues with all available resources.’

Bulgaria

Firefighters battled wildfires at nearly 100 locations across the country two weekends ago, with emergency services describing the situation as ‘critical’.

Theodora Vasileva, mayor of certainly one of the devastated villages, Kozarevo, within the southeastern province of Yambol, said that is the primary time she had witnessed a disaster of such magnitude.

She added: ‘The rapid notification system helped us loads – people began calling and gathered in minutes. That is the primary time I’m seeing this hell; the sunflower crops were all in flames.

‘The elderly, whose homes are the whole lot for them, wept. They were so fearful, but the whole lot is under control for now, their houses are preserved.’

Emergency volunteer Zvezdelin Vlaykov stressed that in all his years of firefighting, he has never seen anything prefer it.

He added: ‘It’s a merciless tragedy.’

This comes as two men were charged with terrorism offences after allegedly deliberately setting fires within the cities of Veliko Turnovo and Sliven.

The Ministry of Interior confirmed that the costs have been escalated from easy arson to crimes under Chapter Certainly one of the Criminal Code.

Bulgaria is essentially the most affected country by fires for 2024-2025 within the EU, with more that 38,000 square miles affected.

Get in contact with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

MORE: Rates of interest fall even further – what does that mean for you?

MORE: Profit’s latest foundation guarantees flawless skin — but does it live as much as the hype?

MORE: First migrants detained by border force agents under latest UK-France deal