French firefighters contain Corbières wildfire while Puilaurens blaze stays active

Firefighters across southern France continue monitoring several wildfire fronts as hot, dry weather persists. In the Aude department, the blaze near Puilaurens remains active across 225 hectares due to "difficult" terrain blocking emergency access, according to local authorities. Conversely, a separate 100-hectare fire near Montséret in the Corbières massif is now contained following an extensive aerial and ground response.

Emergency services have successfully extinguished local blazes in the Var department, though prefectural officials banned public access to seven forest massifs due to severe fire warnings. In Gironde, where major blazes are no longer advancing, Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced plans to visit on August 17 to begin rebuilding efforts. Official figures from the Ministry of the Interior indicate that wildfires have consumed 115,000 hectares of land across France since the start of the year.

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