Firefighters made progress tackling France’s biggest wildfires in more than seven decades, with light rain providing a chance to control the blazes before temperatures rise in the coming days.
The deadly fires, which ignited on Tuesday in the southwestern department of Aude, have burned more than 160 square kilometers (62 square miles), an area bigger than Paris. One person has died and at least 18 people have been injured, French authorities said.
More than 2,000 firefighters have worked for four days to control the blaze, which has damaged or destroyed more than 50 homes. The French military dispatched engineers to help, with air tankers and helicopters dropping water and retardant. Strong winds fanned the flames, spreading the fires across vineyards and farmland that have been baked dry by a string of summer heat waves.
Light rain was falling in the area on Friday and the fire has stopped growing, authorities said. Firefighters said the blazes would be under control soon, though it could take days before they’re completely extinguished. Forest areas remain closed.
Firefighters are racing to contain the blazes before the heat wave intensives, potentially bringing record temperatures on Monday and Tuesday, according to forecaster Meteo France.
French wine makers have suffered widespread damage to vines that were about to be harvested, according to Franck Saillan, general secretary of the Aude winegrowers syndicate.
Insurer AXA SA has received about 10 claims for homes and vehicles so far, but a spokesperson said the ongoing blaze and firefighting effort has made it difficult to assess damage.
Electricite de France SA said Friday it would likely need to shut down one of its Golfech reactors on Aug. 14 as high temperatures on the Garonne river could compromise cooling procedures at the nuclear plant.
EDF said on Thursday that it may also be forced to curb power output from that date at its Tricastin nuclear plant on the Rhone river. Benchmark European gas prices edged higher on Friday.
France has issued amber warnings in 11 regional departments starting at noon Friday, as temperatures soar to as high as 39C (102F) in some areas. Those warnings are set to expand across 17 departments on Saturday, with daytime highs approaching 41C across southern France over the weekend.
The intensifying heat wave is being fueled by a high-pressure system that could get a boost from tropical storm Dexter as it moves across the Atlantic. That could push highs to 43C across southern Spain next week, according to government forecaster AEMET.
The high temperatures are forecast to spread across central Europe and the Mediterranean, putting authorities in Spain, Portugal and Greece on high alert for wildfires.
Evacuations were ordered Friday after a wildfire ignited on the Greek island of Kefalonia. Gale force winds have led to the cancellation of ferry services from Piraeus to Aegean Sea islands.
Top Photo: A firefighter command center in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, Aude region, on Aug. 8. (Angel Garcia/Bloomberg)
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