‘Biggest wildfire in France since 1949:’ Massive Aude blaze rages into third day

A huge wildfire in the south of France continues to rage on for the third consecutive day today, however it is reducing in intensity as weather conditions bring more humidity the area.

The blaze that began on Tuesday afternoon in the Aude department has now burned more than 16,000 hectares of land, around 1.5x the area of Paris and three times that of Lyon.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said it is the most damaging wildfire in France since 1949, where a major blaze in the south-west of France burned over 50,000 hectares and killed 82 people. 

French Prime Minister François Bayrou, who visited the site of the fire with the Interior Minister, called it a “catastrophe of unprecedented magnitude.”

The cause of the fire is still unknown, with specialist detectives working on uncovering its origins. 

Authorities are looking for a possible source such as a cigarette butt, and have not ruled out the possibility of tracing phones in the area to see if a cause can be established that way. 

Around 90% of wildfires start due to human activity – intentional or otherwise – according to the government.

The satellite images below show the spread of the fire since Tuesday afternoon, with the blaze clearly visible overnight on Tuesday evening and thick plumes of smoke floating across the Mediterranean.

The Aude prefecture is yet to give an update on the fire this morning, but provided an official bulletin at 19:00 yesterday evening. 

Three people are still missing following the fire, meaning the current death toll of one – a 65-year old woman who died in her burning home – may rise. 

At least 13 people have been injured, mainly firefighters, although two civilians injured early on in the blaze remain in urgent care.

Close to 1,800 people have been evacuated from nearby the fire, currently staying in emergency centres in nearby communes. 

This includes holidaymakers staying in nearby camping parks.

Many smaller roads remain closed but the A9 motorway has reopened. Live traffic information can be found here. 

Several small villages in the fire’s path have been decimated, with at least 25 buildings and 35 cars completely charred.

“We remain on high alert, because we are surrounded by pine trees and then everything has burned down, all around the village, it's a disaster,” said deputy mayor of the Villesèque-des-Corbières Bruno Zubieta.

“It's dramatic. It's black, the trees are completely charred,” said mayor of Jonquières Jacques Piraud. Around 80% of homes in the village have been damaged.

Will the fire be put out today?

Yesterday saw more than 2,000 firefighters tackle the blaze with the help of around 500 trucks and other vehicles. 

This included several anti-fire aircraft, which dropped 130 loads of water and other anti-fire chemicals on the land. 

At its peak, the fire was burning at more than 1,000 hectares an hour, due to a combination of dried-out vegetation and strong winds of up to 60 km/h.

Conditions on Wednesday exacerbated the spread, however winds have become less powerful today and the fire has lost some of its energy. 

The Tramontane wind is blowing more softly today, and a sea breeze from the Mediterranean “will bring more humid air than before, which is less favorable for the spread of the fire,” said Météo France forecaster François Gourand.

However, the fire is still spreading.

“The rear of the fire has become the front of the fire,” said Aude fire department chief Colonel Christophe Magny. 

The fire has looped round to begin burning near its starting point, but is still uncontrollable due to its intensity. 

It may head towards other areas of the Corbières massif that are more difficult for firefighters to reach.

Météo France has lowered the department’s risk level for forest fires to a tier-two yellow level.