The largest wildfire France has seen in nearly 80 years – ripping through forests, villages and vineyards in the southern Aude department – has been contained, but officials warn it will keep burning for days. Among the hardest-hit areas is the Corbières wine region, where flames destroyed vineyards already weakened by years of drought and extreme weather.
Though the flames are not yet fully extinguished, firefighters have successfully contained the blaze after it tore through more than 17,000 hectares – an area greater than the size of Paris.
Fire crews remain on high alert, with strong winds and dry ground continuing to fuel hotspots.
Nearly 2,000 residents and holidaymakers have been forced to flee since the fire began in Tuesday, and dozens of homes have been lost.
One woman died after refusing to evacuate her home, and 18 others were injured – 16 of them firefighters.
“There is still a lot of work to be done,” said Aude police prefect Christian Pouget. “The fire’s progression has slowed, but flare-ups remain a real risk.”
Residents have not yet been allowed to return, with roads still blocked by fallen power lines and other hazards. Temporary shelters remain open in schools and community centres for those displaced.
At its height, the blaze consumed land at an astonishing rate of 1,000 hectares per hour, driven by powerful winds and parched vegetation after months of drought.
Authorities say land-use changes have made the area more vulnerable to fires. Nearly 5,000 hectares of vineyards were uprooted in the past year, removing natural firebreaks that once helped slow the spread of flames.
Biggest French wildfire since 1949 a 'catastrophe on an unprecedented scale'
Ravaged landscape
The wildfire swept through 15 communes in the Corbières mountains, leaving behind a patchwork of blackened hills and ruined homes. In Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, the hardest-hit village, residents described the scene as apocalyptic.
“We saved the house, but we had to fight the whole night, for two days,” said local farmer Alain Reneau told the French news agency AFP. He is still without electricity or running water.
In total, 36 homes were destroyed and 20 others damaged, while thousands of households lost power.
While investigations continue into the exact cause of the blaze, officials are drawing a direct line to climate change.
“This is clearly a consequence of global warming and drought,” said Environment Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher, calling it the worst wildfire since 1949.
Wildfire in southern France kills woman and forces mass evacuations
Vines reduced to ash
Beyond the physical destruction, the fire has also dealt a heavy blow to the region’s economy – particularly its proud winemaking tradition.
Up to 9 square kilometres of vineyards have burned, with officials estimating that as much as 80 percent of the local crop has been destroyed or tainted by smoke.
For winemakers already grappling with years of drought and extreme weather, the fire is yet another setback.
“The vineyards are burnt, and the landscape is gone,” said Batiste Caval, a seventh-generation vintner near Saint-Laurent told the Associated Press.
Some vines, acting as natural firebreaks, were spared – leaving behind eerie islands of green in a sea of ash. But for many, recovery will take years.
“New vines take three years before they produce fruit,” said Xavier de Volontat, the village mayor. “It’s heartbreaking to see our region like this.”
Still, there’s defiance too. “We’re at war, but we will win the war,” said local vineyard owner Xavier Guille, who fought the flames alongside firefighters.
His vineyard survived, though his in-laws lost their home.
(with newswires)
