More than 2,000 firefighters and military fought this Wednesday to try to control the largest fire that France has lived in more than half a century: the one that broke out in the Aude department, southeast of France, near the border with Spain. The flames originated at four in the afternoon on Tuesday and in just 24 hours they have already razed more than 16,000 hectares of 15 municipalities. A 65 -year -old woman has died and there are 13 other injured people, one of them seriously. “It is the worst fire since 1949,” said Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, referring to the burned surface in such a short time. Both he and Prime Minister François Bayrou, moved to the area.
The evolution of the flames, fueled by the wind guns, forced to cut the A9 highway, one of those that connects France with Spain, although the circulation was resumed at noon. The fire originated in the municipality of Ribaute, about 100 kilometers from Perpignan. It progresses rapidly, six kilometers per hour, and “is far from being controlled,” Narbonne’s prefect, Rémi Recio said this morning. The weather conditions, with high temperatures and strong winds, “are not favorable” for its extinction, he warned.
To give an idea of the dimension: the razed surface so far is the equivalent of the city of Paris, according to Narbonne’s sub -prefect, Lucie Roesch. In addition to the A9, several secondary roads were cut to facilitate the work of firefighters.
“We are facing an unpublished catastrophe,” said Bayrou, who has blamed these claims to climate change. “We have mobilized all possible means,” he said. “Although at the moment no help from other European countries has been requested, they will resort to them if we are in difficulties,” he said. The Prosecutor’s Office of Carcasona has opened an investigation to find out the causes.
The deadly victim is a 65 -year -old woman who was found at home in Saint Laurent de la Cabrerisse, one of the municipalities most affected by the fire, 30 kilometers from the city of Narbonne. He refused to be evacuated. “He lived alone and did not want to leave his home,” said Rémi Recio. There is another neighbor of which your family has no news since yesterday. Of the nine injured, seven are firefighters. The Prefecture has asked the population to remain in their homes.
The Government has deployed its entire air fighting device: four Canadair aircraft, two Dash and two Bombardier helicopters. On the ground, 2,150 firefighters and 600 trucks. Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said that a group of military “helps firefighters in the violent fire in the Aude department, in particularly difficult conditions.”
“All the media of the nation are mobilized. (…) At this time, each one must apply prudence and respect the authorities’ slogans,” said French president Emmanuel Macron, on the social network X.
On the other side of the border, the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, offered the neighboring support to the neighboring country. “Very pending fire that affects southern France. All my support for public authorities and services that are working tirelessly to turn off the focus. We make available all the necessary help,” he said, also in X.
The mayor of Jonquières, one of the affected municipalities, described on Tuesday “a lunar landscape” in the area: “70-80% of the territory of the municipality is calcined,” Jacques Piraud declared the newspaper to the newspaper I monde. The 50 inhabitants of this town were evacuated on Tuesday.
The Aude department is at a red alert level for fires since last Monday. “In a very hot and dry atmosphere, the danger of fire will be very high this Tuesday in Aude,” said Meteo France, the Meteorology Agency. This area has been especially affected by fire, with about 15,000 hectares razed in what we have of summer, without counting on this fire. Nine other departments in the south of the country are on orange alert since yesterday.
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