France’s largest wildfire in decades is continuing to burn and spread across the south of the country,leaving miles worth of land damaged,local authorities have said.

The blaze started on Tuesday and tore through the Corbieres Massif,a mountain range in the Pre-Pyrenees located in the Aude region.

More than 2,100 firefighters have battled the fire over the past few days,with French authorities instructing water bomber aircraft to shower the area to dampen the flames.

The fire’s rapid spread was fuelled by weeks of hot,dry weather,though cooler temperatures and calmer winds overnight helped slightly ease the situation.

Administrator for the region,Christian Pouget,told broadcaster BFMTV: ‘The battle continues,we have a fire that is not yet under control.’

A fireman is seen using a hose next to the wildfire near Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse,southern France (Picture: Securite Civile via AP)

The fire has swept through 15 communes in the Corbieres Massif,destroying or damaging at least 36 homes,with a full damage assessment still under way.

Meanwhile,residents and tourists in nearby areas have been asked to remain in their homes unless told to evacuate.

Those who had already fled the flames were sheltered overnight in temporary accommodation centres in 17 municipalities.

One person has died,and at least 13 others were injured,including 11 firefighters. Three people have been reported missing.

An investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the fire,which has left a blackened landscape of skeletal trees and ash.

The Aude region has been ablaze over the last few days (Picture: Metro)

Where are the wildfires in southern France?

The fire began in the village of Ribaute,about 69 miles south east of the city of Toulouse in the south of France.

It then spread to the Corbières Massif,six miles west.

Xavier de Volontat,the mayor of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse,speaking to BFMTV,said: ‘It’s very sad to think about the image we’re going to give of our Corbieres region,with its devastated landscapes and desperate women and men,not just today or tomorrow,but for weeks and months to come. It will take years to rebuild.’

A rescuer from the Securite Civile is seen next the wildfire near Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse,southern France (Picture: Securite Civile/AP)

It is the most significant fire France has faced since 1949,according to Agnes Pannier-Runacher,France’s minister for ecological transition.

‘The night was cooler,so the fire is spreading more slowly,but it remains the most significant fire France has seen since 1949.

‘It is a fire that is clearly a consequence of climate change and drought in this region.’

A plane flying over the wildfire near Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse. French authorities have instructed water bomber aircraft to shower the area to dampen the flames (Picture: Securite Civile/AP)

Where is the Aude region in France?

The Aude region is located in the south west of France,close to the borders of Spain and Andorra.

The nearest large city is Toulouse,located just north of the region,and contains towns popular with British tourists,including Carcassonne,Narbonne and Perpignan.

More than 2,100 firefighters have battled the fire over the past few days (Picture: Securite Civile/AP)

Wildfires in Europe: Where they’re happening

Wildfires have been raging this summer in Turkey,Greece and Bulgaria amid a 44°C heatwave,ongoing droughts and strong winds.

Here is a breakdown of what’s been happening in each country.

It is the most significant fire France has faced since 1949,France’s minister for ecological transition (Picture: Securite Civile/AP)

Turkey

Wildfires have engulfed Turkey for the last few weeks,with its fourth largest city of Bursa being badly hit two weekends ago.

More than 3,500 people were forced to flee their homes in villages to the northeast as more than 1,900 firefighters battled the flames.

The highway linking the city to the capital,Ankara,was shut as surrounding forests burned.

Wildfires spreading in the Balkans in the last week (Picture: NASA)

Four people died in the area. Their deaths raised Turkey’s wildfire fatalities to 17 since June,including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers killed on Wednesday.

Orhan Saribal,an opposition parliamentarian for Bursa,described the site as ‘an apocalypse’.

He added on X: ‘While carrying water to the forest fire between Gürsu and Kestel districts,the water tanker that rolled into a ravine claimed the lives of our three worker brothers.

‘As our lungs burned,this tragedy added a heartache to our pain. I wish mercy for our brothers and condolences to their families,loved ones,and our Bursa.’

Flames and thick smoke rise from a forested area near the highway as firefighting teams respond to a wildfire in Bursa (Picture: Getty)

Footage revealed an ashen landscape where farms and pine forests had earlier stood.

The rise in wildfires comes as Turkey recorded its highest ever temperature of 50.5°C in the southeastern Sirnak province on Friday.

Greece

In neighbouring Greece,50 fires scorched the suburbs of Athens,forcing the government to evacuate residents in July.

Firefighters were working on five major fronts in the area of Peloponnese,west of the capital,as well as on the islands of Evia,Kythera and Crete.

Firefighters try to extinguish flames on the island of Kythira,Greece (Picture: Reuters)

Kythera,a tourist island with 3,600 residents,continued to face ‘worrying’ conditions.

Deputy mayor Giorgos Komninos told the state-run ERT News channel that half of Kythera had been charred.

He said: ‘Houses,beehives,olive trees have been burnt.’

ERT reported that a fire was still burning on the island late Sunday,but in smaller fronts and the situation was improving.

Prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a statement released on Sunday morning: ‘The state mechanism was called to engage in a titanic battle,simultaneously responding to dozens of wildfires across the country.

An aerial view of burnt and damaged areas in the forest after a wildfire in Krioneri near Athens (Picture: Getty)

‘Today,the situation appears improved,but the fight continues with all available resources.’

Bulgaria

Firefighters battled wildfires at nearly 100 locations across the country two weekends ago,with emergency services describing the situation as ‘critical’.

Theodora Vasileva,mayor of one of the devastated villages,Kozarevo, in the southeastern province of Yambol,said this is the first time she had witnessed a disaster of such magnitude.

She added: ‘The rapid notification system helped us a lot – people started calling and gathered in minutes. This is the first time I am seeing this hell; the sunflower crops were all in flames.

Areas including Portugal,Spain,Italy,Croatia and Greece have also faced wildfires in recent days (Picture: Metro)

‘The elderly,whose homes are everything for them,wept. They were so worried,but everything is under control for now,their houses are preserved.’

Emergency volunteer Zvezdelin Vlaykov stressed that in all his years of firefighting,he has never seen anything like it.

He added: ‘It’s a merciless tragedy.’

This comes as two men were charged with terrorism offences after allegedly deliberately setting fires in the cities of Veliko Turnovo and Sliven.

The Ministry of Interior confirmed that the charges have been escalated from simple arson to crimes under Chapter One of the Criminal Code.

Bulgaria is the most affected country by fires for 2024-2025 in the EU,with more that 38,000 square miles affected.