2025-08-07
Firefighters grapple with France's largest wildfire in decades
STORY: :: August 6, 2025:: Firefighters work through the night against France's largest wildfire in decades:: Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, France :: Officials say at least one person has died Reuters video showed flames in the trees in in the village of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, about 30 kilometres from the city of Perpignan, while firefighters arrived to tackle the blaze.One person died in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, the prefecture said.The fire, which spread very rapidly through forests and villages, has burnt down at least 25 houses, forcing residents and tourists to flee. Many roads are closed.So far, over 15,000 hectares have burned. That is similar to the total area that burned across all of France in several of the past years, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said. He added this was the biggest area burnt by one single fire in France since 1949.The prefecture said the fire was progressing "very quickly" and that nearly 2,000 firefighters were trying to bring it under control. Around 2,500 households in the area were currently without electricity, it said.
