Fire

Major fire in Occitania: one person dead, smoke and burning smells reaching Maresme

The fire broke out in Ribauta, a town located between Narbonne and Carcassonne, and has already burned nearly 16,000 hectares.

ARA

BarcelonaAn elderly woman has died and another person is missing in the massive fire that has been raging since Tuesday in Occitania, specifically in the Ribauta area, a town located between Narbonne and Carcassonne. The blaze has already affected 16,000 hectares and has become the largest in France so far this century. In fact, according to French media outlet BFM, it is the one that has burned the most hectares in the country since 1949. The fire has left at least 13 people injured, seven of them French firefighters working to extinguish the flames. The fatality is an elderly woman from Saint Laurent de la Cabrerisse, who "did not leave her home when she should have," explained Narbonne's sub-prefect, Rémi Recio, on Wednesday. In the same municipality, the fire has caused two injuries, one of them extremely seriously, and one person is missing.

More than 1,900 officers and 500 vehicles have been deployed to the area. The extinguishing work extends over a 90-kilometer perimeter, according to Efe. "All the nation's resources are being mobilized," said French President Emmanuel Macron. The flames have caused a large cloud of smoke visible even from the Empordà region, especially in the Cap de Creus area. In fact, the 112 emergency service has received around thirty calls from that area warning of the smell of smoke caused by the fire in France. Given the magnitude of the fire, President Salvador Illa has offered "all necessary support" to the French authorities.

Satellite images of the fire in Occitania

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According to the Aude regional department, the fire remains "very active" and weather conditions will remain "unfavorable" on Wednesday. Although the wind calmed somewhat during the early hours of the morning in the fire area, gusts of 15 and 20 km/h (9 and 12 mph) were observed during the morning, causing the fire to continue to spread rapidly. However, the sub-prefect of Narbonne, Rémi Recio, has warned of the risk of the fire continuing to spread. "We are in the same configuration as yesterday," he said Wednesday morning, with very low humidity, temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), and winds of between 40 and 50 km/h (25 and 31 mph).

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Smoke and the smell of burning from the fire have reached several municipalities in Catalonia, from the Girona region to the Maresme region. As of 1:00 PM, 112 has received 183 calls related to the presence of smoke and the smell of burning linked to the fire in southern France. 66.12% of the calls were registered in Maresme (121), 22.95% in Baix Empordà (42) and 8.74% in Vallès Occidental (16). Civil Protection has reported that there are currently no active forest fires in Catalonia and that the smoke and ash are coming from southern France. The Generalitat Fire Brigade activated crews to inspect the area, but all cases were considered false alarms. In addition, the Catalan Traffic Service (SCT) has reported on its official X account that, as a result of the fire, the A9 motorway - which connects to the AP-7 - has been closed from Perpignan.

2,500 homes without electricity

The flames are affecting a forested area severely affected by the drought, on steep terrain. The main municipalities threatened by the fire are Saint-Laurent, Coustouge, Lagrasse, Fabrezan, and Tournissan. In fact, the latter three have been evacuated as a precaution, affecting hundreds of people, and 2,500 homes in the area are currently without power. The fire has also burned homes and vehicles: so far, 25 homes have been affected by the flames and around 30 vehicles have been burned. In addition to the seven firefighters injured in Saint Laurent de la Cabrerisse, where two civilians were also injured, a fire truck overturned, resulting in one officer seriously injured and three minor injuries, bringing the total number of injuries to 13, according to Efe.

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Macron also expressed his support for firefighters through his X profile, and called for "prudence and respect for the instructions of the authorities." Since the beginning of the summer, several fires have already affected Aude, including a 2,000-hectare fire in July, the largest since 1986. The cause of the fire, which occurred in the only department on red alert for fires during the current heatwave, is currently unknown.

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Two fires in the Spanish state

In addition, two new fires have forced the evacuation of numerous people in Spain. Specifically, in Tarifa, Cádiz, a blaze that started on Tuesday afternoon mobilized 5,000 vehicles from hotels and campsites near the area affected by the flames. During the early morning, 125 personnel, including firefighters, forestry workers, and other professionals related to extinguishing the fire, worked. 17 aerial vehicles and five fire engines also remain active.

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The other fire, in Ponteceso, A Coruña, also started on Tuesday shortly after 2:00 p.m. and forced the evacuation of two parishes: Corme Aldea and Guxín. The A Coruña Regional Ministry of Rural Affairs has described this fire, which started in four locations near homes, as an "attack" and "intentional." Furthermore, the wind blowing in the area prevented firefighters from working with aerial vehicles. Ponteceso has suffered several fires in recent days, which have burned a total of more than 500 hectares.