France Sends Crews to Keep Fatal Wildfire From Reigniting

About 1,400 firefighters were deployed Saturday in France's southern Aude region to prevent the country's largest wildfire in decades from reigniting, as all residents were allowed to return to their homes. Aude prefect Christian Pouget said the fire has been contained since Thursday after burning more than 62 square miles this week in the wooded region, known for its wineries, the AP reports. All roads have been reopened, but authorities issued a strict ban on accessing the forest, Pouget said at a news conference on Saturday. "The fight is continuing, firefighters are still working on (fire) reignition," he said.

The blaze left one person dead, and 25 people have been injured, including 19 firefighters, Pouget said. High temperatures in the coming days are expected to complicate firefighters' efforts. "The fire won't be extinguished for several weeks," Col. Christophe Magny, director of the Aude fire department, said, pointing to several hot spots that are being closely monitored. France's national weather agency Meteo France placed the southern half of France on a "high vigilance" alert for heat wave, with temperatures expected in the Aude region of up to 102 degrees Fahrenheit on Saturday.