Poonam Nath

France Wildfire: Deadliest in 8 decades, Swept away 160 sq kilometers; one dead, several injured

Digital Desk: A large wildfire that has charred 16,000 hectares (39,537 acres) of forest and villages in southern France since Tuesday has been contained, local authorities announced on Thursday.

According to the statement, firefighters will remain in the region for the next few days to safeguard the site and prevent flare-ups.

Since Tuesday, France's greatest wildfire in over eight decades has killed one and injured 18, including 16 firemen, demolishing 36 homes, damaging 20, and forcing 2,000 people to evacuate.

Smoke plumes rose above the woodland in the Aude region. Drone footage revealed expanses of burned dirt after the fire spread over an area one and a half times the size of Paris.

Residents affected by the fire are still unable to return to their homes without official permission, as many roads remain closed and potentially dangerous due to unsecured damage and fallen power lines.

The fire has left behind a blackened landscape of dead trees and ash, and an investigation is underway to discover the cause of the raging fire. This week's fire was the most significant since the establishment of a national fire database in 2006.

France's weather service has warned that a new heatwave is expected to begin in other parts of southern France on Friday and last for several days.