Over the course of three days, the wildfire ravaged more than 160 square kilometres of land in the Aude wine region. The disaster claimed one life and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate their homes for safety

The blaze spread rapidly in the scorching, dry conditions, forming a 90-kilometre perimeter. Authorities warned of continued risk as another heat wave loomed, with weekend temperatures expected to exceed 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit)

According to regional administrator Christian Pouget, about 1,000 residents were still unable to return to their homes. The wildfire affected 15 communes in the Corbières mountain area, destroying or damaging at least 36 houses. One person was found dead at home, and 13 people, including 11 firefighters, were reported injured

Officials have cautioned evacuees not to attempt to return without proper clearance. Many roads remain blocked or unsafe. Those displaced by the fire have been accommodated in temporary shelters across 17 municipalities. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the fire

The fire was the largest recorded since France's national fire database was created in 2006. But France's minister for ecological transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, called the blaze the worst since 1949 and linked it to climate change

Southern Europe has been plagued by several major wildfires this summer. Experts say that climate change is contributing to more frequent and severe episodes of heat and drought, increasing the region's susceptibility to wildfires. Just last month, a blaze near the southern port city of Marseille, France’s second-largest urban area, left about 300 people injured