Fire in Aude: the fire is under control, but it will take several days to extinguish it

Fixed since Thursday evening , the mission of the thousand firefighters still mobilized is now to monitor the 90 km of edges and prepare for any resumption, while the authorities fear a return of the tramontane, this hot and dry wind which had fanned the flames in the first days.

Christian Pouget, prefect of Aude, warned that the fire would not be "declared extinguished for several days," adding that "there is still a lot of work to be done." Hélène Sandragné, president of the Aude departmental council, said: "The firefighters will do their utmost before the return of the tramontane" this weekend, adding: "It is a relief that the fire is under control, but absolute vigilance remains essential."

After being rushed out of their homes on Tuesday, the last evacuees were allowed to return Friday evening to the 15 villages affected by the fire, the largest in half a century in the Mediterranean region. More than thirty homes were damaged or destroyed, and more than a hundred households remain without electricity in the village of Fontjoncouse.

The death toll has not changed since Wednesday. A woman died in her home in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, the area worst hit by the fire, while another resident suffered serious burns. Four people were slightly injured. Nineteen firefighters were injured, including one who suffered a head injury.