Heavy snow and difficult travel expected again, heaviest snow in southern Minnesota

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

France’s biggest wildfire this summer was spreading quickly Wednesday in a Mediterranean region near the Spanish border after leaving one person dead, authorities said. The fire had burned an area larger than Paris.

About 2,000 firefighters and several water bomber aircraft battled the blaze that broke out Tuesday afternoon in the village of Ribaute in the Aude region, a rural, wooded area that is home to wineries.

The fire, which has burned 32,000 acres, remained “very active” on Wednesday, the local administration said in a statement. The weather was hot, dry and windy, making it difficult for firefighters to contain the blaze.

One person died in their home, nine others were injured, including seven firefighters, and at least one person was missing, the statement said.

Jacques Piraux, mayor of the village of Jonquières, said all residents have been evacuated.

“It’s a scene of sadness and desolation,” he told broadcaster BFM TV after he visited Wednesday morning. “It looks like a lunar landscape, everything is burned. More than half or three-quarters of the village has burned down. It’s hellish.”

Residents and tourists in nearby areas were requested to remain in their homes unless told to evacuate. Two campsites were evacuated as a precaution.

French Prime Minister François Bayrou was expected to visit Wednesday afternoon, his office said.

The environment ministry said the Aude region has been experiencing a drought this month, with water use restrictions in place. Lack of rainfall in recent months “played a major role in the spreading of the fire, since the vegetation is very dry,” the statement said.

 this summer. Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires. Last month, a wildfire that reached the southern port of Marseille, France’s second-largest city, 

, with temperatures increasing at twice the speed of the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Weather and Climate News

Homepage

International

The Associated Press

Author

Authorities say France’s biggest wildfire this summer is spreading quickly in a Mediterranean region near the Spanish border after leaving one person dead. Authorities said the fire damaged a swath of land as big as Paris overnight. One person is missing and several are injured. 

France’s biggest wildfire of the summer has eclipsed the size of Paris and is still spreading

Go Deeper.

Like this?