French Firefighters Battle to Control Worst Blaze Since 1949

French firefighters spent a third day tackling the country’s worst wildfire in more than seven decades, hoping to bring it under control by Friday as lower wind speeds reduce the intensity of the blaze.After starting on Tuesday, the fire in the southwestern department of Aude has burned more than 160 square kilometers (62 square miles), an area bigger than Paris, French authorities said. One person has died and at least 13 people, including 11 firefighters, have been injured.

The fire quickly spread through vineyards, farmland and brush, baked dry by summer heat waves. Fanned by strong winds, it burnt more than 30 homes despite the efforts of firefighters supported by planes and helicopters. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau told reporters while touring Aude on Wednesday that the fires were the worst since 1949.

Now the wildfire appears to be slowing down, Colonel Christophe Magny, head of Aude’s fire agency, told France Info radio.

Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heat waves, droughts and wildfires across Europe, the world’s fastest-warming continent. Temperatures will climb toward 40C (104C) across southwest France on Thursday, according to forecaster Meteo France.

Average temperatures across Europe were 0.45C above long-term normals in July, the fourth-warmest ever recorded for that month, according to new data published by the Copernicus satellite program.

The latest heat wave, which is already bringing highs of 41C to parts of Spain, will spread across much of Europe over the coming week.

Photograph: A forest is engulfed in flames as a wildfire rages near Fontjoncouse, southwestern France, on Aug. 6, 2025. Photo credit: Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images

Related:

• Update: Deadly Wildfires Ravage Southwest France as Heat Wave Builds