Forest fire in the south of France has become the largest in the last 20 years

A forest fire in the Aude department in the south of France, which engulfed 15,000 hectares in less than a day, has become the largest in the republic for at least the last 20 years. This was reported on August 6 in the newspaper Le Parisien.

"According to the Forest Fire Database (BDIFF), the fire that broke out on Tuesday in Ode is the largest in at least the last 20 years," the material says.

It is reported that this time the fire spread with exceptional speed. This pace was helped by strong wind gusts on Tuesday evening, some of which reached 60 km/h, as well as dryness on the ground and humidity levels of less than 25%.

According to Agnes Panier-Runache, Minister of Environmental Transformation, the 15,000 hectares covered by the forest fire correspond to "the total area of fires throughout France in 2024 and more than twice the area of fires in 2023."

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Earlier in the day, it was reported that one person died due to a forest fire in the Aude department in southern France, and another is missing. The fire started on August 5 in the municipality of Ribot. The fire spread to an area of more than 11,000 hectares, which includes more than 15 municipalities.

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