A wildfire in France’s Aude region—near the Spanish border—has burned more than 16,000 hectares, marking the country’s largest fire since 1949.

The blaze began near the village of La Ribaute on 5 August and continues to spread despite efforts by emergency services .

Prime Minister François Bayrou described the event as a "catastrophe of unprecedented scale".

One woman died after refusing evacuation; two individuals, including a firefighter, are critically injured; three people remain missing .

Hundreds of structures have been destroyed, and extensive evacuations have affected thousands of residents and tourists .

Approximately 2,000 firefighters, supported by water‑bombing aircraft and military reinforcements, are engaged in firefighting operations .

Authorities cautioned that a heatwave and prevailing dry, windy conditions may prolong containment efforts .

Officials cited climate‑driven drought, prolonged heat, and the removal of vineyards—which historically served as natural firebreaks—as contributing factors.

Nearly 5,000 hectares of vineyard have been cleared in recent months, altering the landscape's resilience to fire .

The environment minister attributed the fire’s scale to Mediterranean summers becoming hotter and drier .

Across Europe, the 2025 wildfire season is exceptional.

Data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) reports that by mid‑July, the European Union had already seen approximately 292,855 hectares scorched—substantially higher than the 19‑year average of around 163,000 hectares .

A recent assessment indicates the burned area stands at 119 percent above the long‑term average, equivalent to an area nearly the size of Luxembourg .

Countries across the region—from Greece, Turkey and Spain to the United Kingdom—are grappling with widespread fires amid extreme heat, heatwaves, and strained firefighting resources .