French firefighters stabilize southern blazes as recovery plans begin

Firefighters in southern France have stabilized several wildfires, though emergency teams remain deployed across multiple affected regions. In the Aude department, emergency crews contained an outbreak near Montséret after it burned approximately 100 hectares, while a separate blaze near Puilaurens remained active across 225 hectares of difficult terrain.

Elsewhere, containment efforts proved successful as fires in the Drôme department were stabilized and the major blaze in Gironde stopped advancing. Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced plans to visit Gironde on August 17 to launch recovery initiatives for devastated areas. Prefectural authorities in the Var department also imposed access bans on seven forest massifs due to severe fire risks, despite local blazes being extinguished. Official figures indicate over 115,000 hectares of land have burned nationwide this year.

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