The EU has offered to provide help to France, which is battling a wildfire that was described by French Prime Minister François Bayrou as “a disaster of unprecedented scale.”
“Europe stands with France as the worst wildfires in its recent history rage in Aude. My thoughts are with the brave firefighters as they battle the blaze,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X.
“We are ready to mobilise rescEU resources to support efforts to bring the fires under control,” she added, referencing an EU program to provide disaster response resources.
A wildfire in the southern region of Aude has burned more than 16,000 hectares of land — an area larger than Paris — leaving one person dead, 13 injured, and three reported missing.
More than 2,000 firefighters are deployed in the area to tackle the blaze, which started Tuesday near the village of La Ribaute. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau called it the fire has destroyed “the most hectares since 1949.”
Prime Minister François Bayrou called the situation “a disaster of unprecedented scale.”
