“The fire is still very active and the situation remains unfavourable,” said Lucie Roesch, secretary general of the Aude prefecture, citing drought conditions, rising temperatures and strong winds.
An elderly woman died in her home, one person is missing and two people were injured, one of whom is now in critical condition with severe burns, according to the Aude prefecture.
The 13 injured included nine firefighters.
Meanwhile, regional authorities in Spain said that a wildfire raging near the Mediterranean tourist town of Tarifa that prompted evacuations had been “stabilised”.
The French wildfire is a “catastrophe on an unprecedented scale” triggered by global warming, said French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou while on a visit to the affected Aude region.
“What is happening today is linked to global warming and linked to drought,” Bayrou added.
The blaze has burned some 16,000ha (39,500 acres) of land in less than 24 hours.
Planes were dropping water on the flames, but Roesch warned “this fire will keep us busy for several days. It’s a long-term operation”.
Camping grounds and at least one village were partially evacuated, and several roads were closed.
“I left everything behind me,” said David Cerdan, a 51-year-old who fled Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, where a woman in her 60s died after she refused to leave her home.
“I’m putting it into perspective. I only have material damage,” said Cerdan, who lived near the victim.
‘People losing everything’
The French wildfire is the country’s biggest so far in a summer which has already seen some 9000 fires, mainly along the Mediterranean coast, according to the emergency management service.
An investigation has been opened into the cause of the fire, said local officials.
“All of the nation’s resources are mobilised,” President Emmanuel Macron said on X, calling on people to exercise “the utmost caution”.
The Aude department in particular has seen an increase in areas burned in recent years, aggravated by low rainfall and the uprooting of vineyards, which used to help slow down the advance of fires.
Strong, changing winds made the firefighters’ job particularly difficult, officials said.
People as far as 30km away from the fire have felt its impact.
“The air is suffocating ... the smell of burning has seeped into homes,” said Serge de Souza, a local in the seaside town of Port-la-Nouvelle.
The frequency of wildfires is taking a toll on local residents, said Aude Damesin, who lives in the town of Fabrezan.
“It’s terrible for the wildlife, the flora, and for the people who are losing everything,” she said.
The European Union’s crisis management commissioner, Hadja Lahbib, said on X that “the EU stands ready to mobilise international support, if needed”.
Spread by strong winds
In Spain’s Tarifa, fire crews secured areas near hotels and other tourist accommodation after getting the blaze under control, local officials said.
Antonio Sanz, Interior Minister for Andalusia’s regional government, said on X that “the return of all evacuated people” had been authorised after the fire was “stabilised”.
He had earlier expressed concern about how the wind could affect the fire’s spread.
Spanish public broadcaster TVE reported that the fire had started in a campervan at a beachside campsite, before being quickly spread by strong winds.
About 1550 people and 5500 vehicles were evacuated from campsites, hotels, and homes, Sanz said earlier.
Emergency crews had worked through the night to prevent the fire from reaching coastal resorts.
Spain is experiencing a heatwave with temperatures nearing 40C in many regions and officials reported 1060 excess deaths in July that could be attributed to intense heat.
Climate experts say that global warming is driving longer, more intense and more frequent heatwaves around the world, making for more favourable forest fire conditions.
-Agence France-Presse
