French firefighters optimistic after controlling vast wildfire
French authorities said Friday they were counting on better weather conditions to put out the country's biggest wildfire in at least half a century near the Mediterranean coast after firefighters finally managed to bring it under control.
The fire ravaged a vast area of the Aude department at the peak of the summer tourist season, killing one person and wounding several others.
Experts say European countries are becoming ever more vulnerable to such disasters due to intensifying summer heatwaves linked to global warming.
Firefighters announced that the Aude blaze was brought under control on Thursday, although it will still take several days before it is completely extinguished.
"The weather is changing in our favour," Remi Recio, a senior regional official who is the sub-prefect for the southern city of Narbonne told reporters, pointing to "a weakening of the wind" and rising humidity.
"The light drizzle this morning is also welcome," he said in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, the town worst hit by the fire.
However the low cloud cover which helps the firefighters on the ground makes aerial operations to fight the fire more complicated.
- 'Complete despair' -
The fire, the largest for at least 50 years close to the French Mediterranean coast, swept through 17,000 hectares (4,200 acres) of vegetation in just over 48 hours.
Local authorities have said that some 2,000 people evacuated are still unable to return home. Almost 2,000 firefighters are mobilised to fight the fire.
In Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, a 65-year-old woman was found dead Wednesday in her home, which was devastated by flames. The authorities said 18 people were injured: two residents who were hospitalised, one of whom suffered serious burns as well as 16 firefighters.
As well as the damage to forests, local authorities estimate that "800 to 900 hectares" of vineyards have been lost.
"If we don't get help, we won't recover. We're losing a lot. It's complete despair. It outrages me, this vineyard, all these years of work, went up in smoke in an hour," Fabien Vergnes, 52, told AFP on his 20-hectare property in Tournissan, a few kilometers from Saint-Laurent.
With Europe facing new August heatwaves, many areas are on alert for wildfires. Portugal on Thursday extended emergency measures because of the heightened risk of fires.
Near the Spanish town of Tarifa, fire crews secured areas near hotels and other tourist accommodations after controlling a major blaze that also destroyed hundreds of hectares.
