Biggest French wildfire since 1949 a 'catastrophe on an unprecedented scale'

A burnt-out vehicle in an area devastated by a wildfire near Fontjoncouse, southwestern France, on 6 August, 2025. AFP - LIONEL BONAVENTURE

French firefighters continue to battle the spread of a wildfire in the south of the country that has left one person dead and burnt 17,000 hectares since Tuesday. It's the country's biggest blaze since 1949, according to the Minister for Ecological Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher.

The fire began late on Tuesday in the village of Ribaute in the southern Aude department, a rural, wooded area that is home to several wineries.