Karhutla In France Has Exceeded Paris, 1 Person Dies, 2,100 Officers Deployed

Illustration of forest and land fires (karhutla). (Unsplash-Dirk Erasmus)

JAKARTA - The devastating forest and land fires (karhutla) that hit France killed one person and spread rapidly to the Mediterranean region near Spain on Wednesday local time.

The area affected by forest and land fires in France has exceeded the size of Paris. Officers struggled to extinguish it so that the fire did not spread quickly, assisted by military soldiers who began to be deployed.

"Disasters on an unprecedented scale," said French Prime Minister Total Bayrou, Thursday, July 7, quoted by AFP.

More than 2,100 firefighters and several water bombers struggling to extinguish the blazing fire from Tuesday afternoon in Ribaute Village, Aude.

The area is a forested rural area for wine refineries.

Local authorities said the forest and land fires had scorched 16,000 hectares of land. However, the red rooster did not stop spreading rapidly on Wednesday night.

Hot, dry, and windy weather is the cause of the fast-scattering forest and land fires.

Local residents tried to help the officers extinguish the fire. Others evacuate from their homes and small businesses. The situation illustrates how worried the locals are with the speed of the fire ribbing the surrounding area.

The sky in settlements is filled with ash, including covering windows and cars. The roads are also closed around the affected areas.