On August 6, local authorities said a serious forest fire broke out in the Corbieres hills, Aude province, southwest France, near the Mediterranean coast. The fire forced a major highway to close and injured at least nine people, one of whom was killed.
According to the Aude provincial government, 7 of the injured victims were firefighters, the remaining 2 were civilians. One of the two civilians - the victim was severely burned and in critical condition - did not survive.
The fire started on the night of August 5, early morning of August 6 (local time) in the town of Ribaute, then spread rapidly, burning down more than 11,000 hectares of forest. Another fire was also reported about 20km northwest.
The authorities have evacuated a village and many camping areas in the area. Several local roads have been blocked for safety, including a section of the A9 expressway - the main traffic route connecting France with Spain, between the two cities of Perpignan and Narbonne.
On the evening of August 5, French President Emmanuel Macron posted on social network X, saying the fire was spreading rapidly and "all national resources had been mobilized".
According to the authorities, dry terrain along with strong winds were the cause of the fire breaking out and spreading rapidly. Initially, about 1,200 firefighters were deployed, but by the morning of August 6, this number had increased to 1,820 people to cope with the increasingly serious developments.
A video posted by the French Fire Department shows fierce fire approaching a village, with black smoke covering the sky.
According to the latest update from the Aude provincial government, about 2,500 households in the area are without power and damage is expected to continue to increase in the coming days.
