France’s Massive Wildfire Expected to Burn for Days, Say Authorities

France’s Largest Wildfire in Decades to Burn for Days, Authorities Warn.

France’s massive wildfire in the southern department of Aude will continue burning for several more days, despite being brought under control, officials said Friday. The blaze has scorched over 17,000 hectares—an area larger than Paris—resulting in one death, 13 injuries (including 11 firefighters), and the destruction of dozens of homes.

Around 2,000 firefighters remain on the ground, working to fully extinguish the fire, which was declared under control on Thursday night. However, Christian Pouget, Aude’s prefect, cautioned that it will take several days before the fire is declared fully extinguished.

Access to the devastated forests remains banned until at least Sunday due to hazards such as fallen power lines. Approximately 2,000 displaced residents have yet to return home, with many sheltering in school gyms and village halls.

This wildfire is the largest France has faced in its Mediterranean region in over 50 years. At its peak intensity, flames consumed around 1,000 hectares per hour, fueled by two days of strong, shifting winds that complicated firefighting efforts.

Tragically, a 65-year-old woman who refused to evacuate died in the blaze.

Prime Minister François Bayrou called the wildfire a “catastrophe on an unprecedented scale,” linking it to climate change and drought conditions. Environment Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher noted this is the largest fire in France since 1949.

This summer, France has battled nearly 9,000 wildfires, primarily along the Mediterranean coast. The Aude region, in particular, has seen increasing fire-prone conditions due to lower rainfall and vineyard uprooting, which previously helped slow fires.

Smoke still lingers over the hardest-hit village of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, where dry grass continues to burn amid pine hills and vineyards. Across Europe, heatwaves are raising wildfire risks. Portugal extended emergency measures due to fire danger, while Spain has controlled a large fire near Tarifa after evacuating 1,550 people and thousands of vehicles.

Spain faces record heat, with temperatures nearing 40°C and over 1,000 heat-related deaths reported in July. Experts agree that global warming is intensifying heatwaves worldwide, creating conditions that fuel more frequent and severe forest fires.