Firefighters contain French wildfires as recovery planning begins

Firefighters in southern France have contained a wildfire in the Corbières massif after it burned 100 hectares across the Aude department. Emergency services deployed 240 personnel, 60 vehicles, and ten aircraft to manage the blaze near Montséret and Saint-André-de-Roquelongue. Meanwhile, a separate fire in Puilaurens remains active across 225 hectares due to rugged, inaccessible terrain, though its perimeter has stabilized.

In the Var department, local authorities prohibited public entry to seven forest massifs following extreme risk warnings, even as nearby fires were extinguished. Additional blazes in Drôme have been contained, and fire progression in Gironde has stopped. Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced a visit to Gironde on August 17 to launch local reconstruction efforts. Official figures report that wildfires have destroyed 115,000 hectares nationwide this year.

Sources: Le Figaro, Le Monde, Le Soir, Libération, RTBF Info.