Wildfires: 'We must make prevention a political and collective priority, commensurate with the new challenges posed by climate change'

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ince Tuesday, August 5, an unprecedented wildfire has swept through the Corbières mountain range in the Aude region of southern France. In less than 48 hours, more than 17,000 hectares went up in smoke.

This fire illustrates a new generation of so-called "extreme" wildfires that now exceed human intervention capabilities. Their unusual intensity, extremely rapid spread and severe weather conditions make traditional extinguishing methods futile. What was once rare has begun to become the norm across the Mediterranean.

Experts define these fires as events whose thermal power exceeds 10,000 kilowatts per meter, with fire fronts advancing at over three kilometers per hour that are able to generate their own violent winds, preventing firefighters from operating on the front lines. In such circumstances, even massive ground and aerial resources can merely limit the damage.

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