French officials have called the large forest fire tearing through the south a 'catastrophe' as thousands flee a blaze larger than Paris
23:04, Wed, Aug 6, 2025 Updated: 23:05, Wed, Aug 6, 2025
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The fire devastating southern France remains a 'high risk' to residents (Image: Bruno Retailleau, Interior Minister)
Thousands of French firefighters and volunteers are continuing to tackle a vast wildfire that has torn through a large expanse of the country's south, with the devastation now stretching across an area larger than Paris.
France's Prime Minister François Bayrou called the vast wildfire a "catastrophe on an unprecedented scale", with officials describing it as the largest in almost 80 years.
More than 2000 firefighters were called in to tackle the blaze, which began on Tuesday near the small village of La Ribaute. An elderly woman has died due to the fire, with 11 emergency responders injured while trying to hold back the flames.
However, after more than a day of trying to contain the fire in France's Aude region, residents have been warned that the fire still poses a threat, with emergency teams failing to stabilize the spreading inferno.
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EN IMAGES - Les soldats du feu face à un monstre. Vidéo spectaculaire de la situation dans l'#Aude, où les pompiers de France combattent depuis maintenant 24h le plus gros incendie du 21ᵉ siècle avec des flammes incontrôlables. (InfOccitanie) pic.twitter.com/x4Kiip8Hb8
Authorities in France have laid the blame for the rampaging wildfire on climate change and a local drought, which has turned much of the vegetation and woodland in the Aude region into a tinderbox.
France's typically warm south has seen exceptional levels of heat in recent weeks, with high winds on Tuesday and Wednesday blamed for stoking the flames, which have torn through 58 square miles of countryside, injuring 13 people.
With so much fuel for the fire and a heatwave with no end in sight, the inferno has gutted buildings and vehicles in its path - completely destroying some villages and emitting a large black plume that meteorologists say can be seen from space.
French officials have heaped praise on the thousands of firefighters who responded to the wildfire, which has only escalated despite the vast operation to hold it back.
Julien Marion, France's Director General of Civil Security, said: "A fire of exceptional violence has been ravaging our territory. It is the largest in our country since 1949.
"Faced with this dramatic situation, the Civil Security Department has mobilized completely. This evening again, more than 2,000 firefighters and rescue workers are tirelessly engaged in fighting the flames."
Depuis hier, un incendie d\u2019une rare violence ravage notre territoire. C\u2019est le plus important par sa superficie dans notre pays depuis 1949. Face \u00e0 cette situation dramatique, la mobilisation de la S\u00e9curit\u00e9 civile est totale. Ce soir encore, plus de 2 000 sapeurs-pompiers et\u2026 pic.twitter.com/z0MJTli8Vl
\u2014 Julien Marion - DGSCGC (@DG_SecCivile) August 6, 2025
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