Incendie du siècle : 16000 hectares brûlés dans l'Aude dans un méga feu de forêt

A wildfire of unprecedented magnitude broke out on Tuesday, August 5th, around 4:20 p.m. in Ribaute, in the Corbières massif. In less than 24 hours, it spread across more than 16,000 hectares, becoming the largest summer forest fire in France and the most destructive of the 21st century, surpassing even the Landiras fire (Gironde, July 2022). The flames, fanned by a powerful tramontane wind and extremely dry conditions, swept through approximately 15 municipalities, destroying or damaging 25 homes and at least 35 vehicles. Authorities evacuated nearly 1,759 people to 17 shelters set up across the region. The death toll has risen: a 65-year-old woman died in her home in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse after refusing to evacuate. Among the injured, 13 people were affected—two civilians, one critically, and 11 firefighters, some of whom suffered serious burns or injuries, including in an accident involving a firefighting truck. More than 2,000 firefighters were mobilized, supported by powerful air support: at least four Canadairs, five Dash aircraft, and several water-bombing helicopters. Despite these resources, the fire spread reached up to 1,000 hectares per hour at its peak. Prime Minister François Bayrou, visiting the scene on Wednesday, August 6, described the incident as a "catastrophe of unprecedented proportions," stating that "all the nation's resources are being mobilized." Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau emphasized that this was "the fire that has burned the most hectares since 1949" in France. Judicial investigations have been opened to determine the exact causes of the fire, with the possibility of human origin, possibly a cigarette butt thrown from a nearby road, although nothing has been confirmed to date. This fire is affecting a high-risk area: the region is prone to dry and windy summers, with Mediterranean vegetation prone to fires. The Aude region thus reached a national record for the area burned for 2025, where nearly 24,000 hectares were ravaged, confirming the worrying trajectory of forest fires in the south of France. #Ribaute #Aude #Fire #ForestFire #Heatwave #Climate #globalwarming #climatechange #forest #summer #summer2025 #2025 Subscribe to follow all the latest news filmed on the ground without commentary: https://youtube.com/clpress?sub_confi... #News #Information #CLPRESS 📲 More news footage from the ground: ▶️ Twitter:   / clpressfr   ▶️ Facebook:   / clementlanot   ▶️ YouTube:    / clpress   ▶️ TikTok:   / clpress   ▶️ Instagram:   / clpress   ▶️ Website: https://clpress.fr/ ▶️ Email: [email protected] Follow Clément Lanot ▶️ Twitter:   / clementlanot   ▶️ Youtube Clément Lanot:    / clementlanot   ▶️ TikTok:   / clementlanot   ▶️ Instagram:   / clementlanot   ALL COMMERCIAL OR NON-COMMERCIAL USES ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED WITHOUT PERMISSION.