Aude. At least 16,000 hectares burned, 28 km covered, more than 2,500 firefighters... the fire in figures

The fire raging in the Aude department since Tuesday is fraught with superlatives. France's largest summer fire swept through 16,000 hectares of vegetation in 24 hours across 15 municipalities in the Occitan department—the equivalent of more than 228,500 football pitches and 1.5 times the size of Paris.

Already dubbed the "fire of the 21st ^century ," the blaze, which broke out shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday in Ribaute , is the largest fire in the last 50 years. Only one other fire before it had exceeded 10,000 hectares since 1976 - that was in Landiras (Gironde), in 2022.

The Aude fire alone represents the equivalent of all the hectares that burned in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2024 respectively and double that of 2023.

As of Wednesday morning, the fire was spreading at 6 km/h, destroying nearly 1,000 hectares per hour. From its source, the fire has already traveled 28 km. The blaze is so large that it is visible from space.

One person died and at least 13 people were injured. Among them, two residents had to be hospitalized, one of whom suffered serious burns. Eleven firefighters were injured, one of whom was seriously injured.

The flames destroyed or damaged 25 homes and 35 vehicles, according to a provisional report that does not yet specify the area burned. More than 2,500 homes are still without power, and it is too soon for the hundreds of residents evacuated Tuesday evening to return home, the prefecture warned. To extinguish the flames, 2,500 firefighters are supported by 500 ground vehicles.