Big wildfire rages in southern France

A wildfire in southern France’s Aude region near the Spanish border has scorched around 4,500 hectares (11,100 acres) of forest, the fire brigade said late on Tuesday, as hundreds of firefighters battled to bring the blaze under control. More than 1,250 firefighters have been deployed to the scene, Colonel Alexandre Jouassard, spokesperson for the civil protection agency, told BFMTV.

President Emmanuel Macron said on X the fire was progressing and that "all the nation’s resources were mobilized." Two people were injured in the fire, including one seriously, Lucie Rosech, the deputy prefect of Aude, told BFMTV.