Overview

• Light rain and sustained operations have brought the 160-square-kilometer blaze under control, though crews continue to monitor hotspots in the Aude region.
• The fire has killed one person, injured at least 18 others, forced around 2,000 residents and tourists to evacuate and left roughly 1,500 homes without power.
• More than 2,000 firefighters, backed by French military engineers, have used air tankers, helicopters and ground crews to carve firebreaks and douse flames.
• President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister François Bayrou have mobilized all national resources to support firefighting efforts, while Environment Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher linked the blaze’s severity to climate change.
• Meteo France warns that record temperatures could reach 41°C beginning Saturday, raising the risk that smoldering zones could flare up again.