Fire In Southern France Burned Area Bigger Than Paris In Less Than 24 Hours; 2nd Biggest Fire In French History

Hundreds of firefighters are battling to stop the spread of a fast-moving wildfire in southern France after one woman died and nine people were injured as the blaze scorched a vast area of the Corbières hills. The blaze burned an area the size of Paris over one afternoon and night and was still burning on Wednesday evening, making it the second biggest fire in France in 50 years.

The French prime minister, François Bayrou, who visited the area, described the fire as “a catastrophe of unprecedented scale”. “What is happening today is linked to climate change and drought,” he said.

The fire, which started on Tuesday afternoon, had burned 16,000 hectares (39,537 acres) inland from the Mediterranean near the Spanish border. It began in the village of Ribaute in the Aude department, spreading across the rural, wooded area of the Corbières, famous for its vineyards and medieval villages. A woman died in her home and one person was in a critical condition with severe burns, according to the Aude prefecture. Several firefighters were also injured. At least 25 homes were destroyed or damaged. Police are investigating the cause of the fire.

The environment ministry said the fire had destroyed the same amount of land in 24 hours that wildfires typically burned across France in a year. “This is an exceptional fire that illustrates the scale of the consequences of the climate crisis,” the ministry said in a statement.

EDIT

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/06/france-largest-wildfire-this-year-corbieres-hills