Wildfire in France is the largest since 1949

The Aude fire service posted this image from one of their air drops in Southern France near the border with Spain. This wildfire in France in the Aude region is currently the largest in decades. Image via @sirtom.bsky.social.

Massive wildfire in France is still spreading

A wildfire spread rapidly on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, in the Aude region of Southern France. As of Wednesday evening, it had burned 16,000 hectares (40,000 acres), or well over the size of Paris. It’s currently the largest wildfire in the country since 1949. So far, one person has died from the fire. More than 2,000 firefighters are fighting the blaze with 500 fire engines and multiple aircraft. Despite this mobilization, the fire continues to spread due to hot and windy conditions.

The Aude region is close to the Spanish border. According to forest fire website in France:

A fire broke out this Tuesday, August 5, at around 4:15 p.m. in the commune of Ribaute. The fire spread very quickly and has already covered more than 16,000 hectares and crossed 15 communes….

People are asked to remain confined inside their homes, unless ordered to evacuate by the fire brigade.

Given the progress of the fire, we reiterate to the entire population of this sector the instruction not to move in order to facilitate access for emergency services and to preserve the safety of all.

The site also reports that 11 firefighters were injured, one critically.

The biggest fire of the summer in France so far can be seen below from space, observed by Meteosat-12 at 10:30 CEST today.
16,000 hectares have already burned in the south, near the Corbières region.
Data from Meteosat-12 is provided to users in order to monitor in real time: bit.ly/47jFSC9

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— EUMETSAT (@eumetsat.int) August 6, 2025 at 10:41 AM

A fast-spreading fire

The translation of the post below reads, in English:

This is a real ecological disaster in the Aude. In just 7 hours, more than 7,000 hectares have gone up in smoke, with a fire front >30km long. The speed of propagation is exceptional: we are probably witnessing the fastest and most violent forest fire of the 21st century in France.

C’est un véritable désastre écologique dans l’Aude. En à peine 7h, plus de 7000 hectares sont partis en fumée, avec un front de feu de >30km de long. La vitesse de propagation est exceptionnelle : nous assistons probablement au feu de forêt le + rapide et le plus violent du XXI? siècle en France 1/2

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— Dr. Serge Zaka (@sergezaka.bsky.social) August 5, 2025 at 4:41 PM

Bottom line: A large wildfire has rapidly spread through the Aude region of France, near the border with Spain. This wildfire in France is the largest in decades.

Read more: This Is Wildfire: Tips on preparing yourself and your home

The post Wildfire in France is the largest since 1949 first appeared on EarthSky.

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