(Bloomberg) – Firefighters say they have made progress containing the worst French fires in more than seven decades, with light rain providing a chance to retain flames before re -rising in the coming days.
The deadly fires that set fire to Tuesday in the southern Aude region burned more than 160 km2 (62 square miles), which is larger than Paris. One person died and at least 18 people were injured, the French authorities said.
More than 2,000 firefighters worked for four days to control Blaze, which damaged or destroyed more than 50 houses. The French army sent engineers to help firefighters using air tankers and helicopters to drop water and retarder to help withhold the fire. Strong winds have distributed fire, so they spread them quickly and pushed the flames with vineyards and agricultural soil, which were baked by a dry chain of summer thermal waves.
On Friday, light rain fell in this area and the fire ceased to grow, the authorities said. Firefighters said the flames would soon be under control, even if it could take several days to go out completely. The forest areas remain closed.
Firefighters compete to contain flames before the next wave comes, with potentially recorded temperatures set on Tuesday, according to Forecaster Meteo France.
France has released Amber warning at 11 regional departments since noon on Friday. According to meteo France, temperatures could reach 39 ° C in some areas. This thermal warnings will expand to 17 departments on Saturday, which could see temperatures of 16 ° C above normal and daily maximums that close to 41 ° C throughout the southern France during the weekend.
Authorities in Portugal, Spain and Greece are also in high emergency fires, because the new bike of extreme heat and threatens to expand to Central Europe and the Mediterranean next week.
-S support from Paul Tugwell.
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