French firemen were battling yesterday to control the country’s biggest wildfire in almost 80 years, with the blaze in the southern Aude region having already swept through an area bigger than Paris.
“It’s a catastrophe of unprecedented scale,” Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said as he visited Saint-Laurent-de-la Cabrerisse. One person died in the village of Saint Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, about 30km from the city of Perpignan, the prefecture said.
The fire, which spread very rapidly through forests and villages, has burnt down at least 25 houses, forcing residents and tourists to flee. Many roads are closed. So far, more than 15,000 hectares have burned.
That is similar to the total area that burned across all of France in several of the past years, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said. He added this was the biggest area burnt by one single fire in France since 1949.
Officials and experts warned the wind could change direction, further complicating efforts to fight the wildfire. Scientists say the Mediterranean region’s hotter, drier summers put it at high risk of wildfires.
Once fires start, plentiful dry vegetation and strong winds in the region can cause them to spread rapidly and burn out of control.
Meanwhile, Spain was experiencing a prolonged heatwave since Sunday that was expected to extend into next week, with temperatures reaching 43C in some areas.
The high temperatures have helped to fan several wildfires.
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