France’s largest wildfire in decades leaves trail of devastation

Villerouge La Cremade: France’s largest wildfire in decades burnt at a slower pace Thursday after covering

more than 160 square kilometres in the south of the country and claiming one life, local authorities said.

The blaze, which started Tuesday and tore through the Corbieres massif in the Aude region, has remained uncontained despite the deployment of over 2,100 firefighters and several water bomber aircraft. The fire’s rapid spread was fuelled by weeks of hot, dry weather, though cooler temperatures and calmer winds overnight helped slightly ease the situation.

Although the wind picked up later, firefighters remained hopeful they could contain the fire by the end of Thursday. “We have a fire that has not yet been contained and is no longer spreading,” said region administrator Christian Pouget.

“The battle is not over yet. The fire could reignite in a more significant way. We still have a few days before we can say that the fire will be completely extinguished.”