A large wildfire burns in southern France on Wednesday, prompting evacuations of scores of people. Emergency services report the fire is in the Hérault and Aude departments, where drought and strong winds help drive its spread. Hundreds of firefighters are deployed to battle the blaze, aided by water-dumping aircraft. By late evening, the prefecture says the fire has covered about 800 hectares. Authorities describe the situation as partly contained at times, but not under full control. Firefighters face difficult terrain, including hilly areas with limited access routes, and the vegetation is described as low and very dry. Conditions include temperatures of around 30°C combined with strong wind gusts, while dense smoke affects operations. Officials say about 200 people are evacuated or confined in the communes of Pouzols‑Minervois and Mailhac. Separately, local firefighters report two smaller blazes in Rognac and Lançon‑Provence near Marseille. The incidents come after major wildfires in the Corbières region a year earlier and amid unusually hot weather across Europe, with another heatwave forecast.
Wildfire in southern France forces evacuations as firefighters battle blaze
A large wildfire burns in southern France on Wednesday, prompting evacuations of scores of people. Emergency services report the fire is in the Hérault and Aude departments, where drought and strong w...
- A wildfire is burning in southern France, affecting the Hérault and Aude departments.
- Drought and strong winds contribute to the fire’s spread, with very dry vegetation.
- By late evening, the blaze covers about 800 hectares, according to the prefecture.
- Authorities evacuate or confine about 200 people in Pouzols‑Minervois and Mailhac.
- About hundreds of firefighters are deployed, using water-dumping aircraft as access routes are limited.
OUPIA, France — A large wildfire raged in southern France on Wednesday, forcing scores of people to be evacuated, emergency services said. Hundreds of firefighters mobilised to battle the blaze in the Herault and Aude departments, fuelled by drought and strong winds. It came a year after major blazes in the Corbieres region and days after a deadly heatwave across much of Europe, with another one forecast. READ: France records 1,000 more deaths as extreme heat breaks European records By late evening the fire had covered 800 hectares, according to the prefecture. “The fire is contained at times,” a source […]...Keep on reading: Big wildfires hit southern France
2 hours agoOUPIA, France (AFP) — A large wildfire raged in southern France on Wednesday, forcing scores of people to be evacuated, emergency services said. Hundreds of firefighters mobilised to battle the blaze in the Herault and Aude departments, fuelled by drought and strong winds. It came a year after major blazes in the Corbieres region and days after a deadly heatwave across much of Europe, with another one forecast. By late evening the fire had covered 800 hectares, according to the prefecture. "The fire is contained at times," a source in the prefecture told AFP around 11:00pm (2100 GMT), but "it is not under control." Conditions on the ground were difficult for firefighters, with no access routes in the hilly terrain. Water-dumping aircraft were being used. Temperatures of around 30C combined with strong wind gusts drove the spread of the fire through low, very dry vegetation. About 200 people were evacuated or confined in the communes of Pouzols‑Minervois and Mailhac, officials said. "The smoke was so thick, so suffocating that firefighters told us to leave," said one evacuated woman, Danielle, 99, from Pouzols. Two smaller blazes broke out in Rognac and Lancon‑Provence near Marseille, according to local firefighters.
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