Overview

• Driven by drought, a severe heatwave and tramontane gusts up to 70 km/h, the fire engulfed 17,000 hectares of pine forest and scrubland since August 5.
• Opération Héphaïstos mobilized over 2,000 firefighters, 500 vehicles and more than 200 military rescuers alongside four Canadair water bombers.
• The blaze claimed one civilian life and injured 18 people—including 16 firefighters—while destroying 36 homes and dozens of outbuildings.
• The European Union has pledged standby support as local crews focus on extinguishing residual hotspots across the burned area.
• The Carcassonne prosecutor’s office has opened a judicial inquiry to determine the blaze’s origin and whether it was set deliberately.