Largest fire since 1949 devastates French region

Southern France is reeling from a catastrophic wildfire, the largest since 1949, which has consumed over 16,000 hectares of land, an area larger than Paris.

- BY JAY HILOTIN

The blaze, which erupted on August 5, 2025, in the village of Ribaute in the Aude department, has left a trail of destruction across the Corbières hills, a region known for its vineyards and medieval villages.

Powerful and frightening images captured by French media depict towering flames, some several metres high, tearing through garrigue and pine forests, with thick black smoke billowing into the sky, visible from the Mediterranean coast.