Franceโsย 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.
French Prime Minister Franรงois Bayrou deplored a โdisaster on an unprecedented scaleโ in the region.
Over 2,100 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.
Firefighters battled the biggest wildfire of the year in southern France. The fire has already swept through an area bigger than Paris, with more than 34,000 acres burned โ similar to the total area that burned across all of France in 2024 https://t.co/WPUpsCx5B0 pic.twitter.com/5qouli2BjP
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 6, 2025
