Hundreds of firefighters are battling Wednesday to contain a fast-moving wildfire that has left one person dead, another missing, and thousands displaced in southern France, marking the country’s worst blaze of the year.

The fire, which broke out Tuesday near La Ribaute in the Aude region, has scorched over 13,000 hectares, an area larger than Paris, destroying homes and prompting mass evacuations across several villages including Lagrasse, Fabrezan, Tournissan, Coustouge and Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse.

Officials confirmed that an elderly woman died in her home, while one person remains unaccounted for. Two people are currently hospitalized, one in critical condition. Seven firefighters have also been treated for smoke inhalation.

“This is a disaster of unprecedented scale,” said firefighter spokesman Eric Brocardi, speaking to local RTL radio.

More than 1,800 firefighters and 500 vehicles have been deployed to battle the flames, which are being fanned by strong winds, dry brush, and extreme heat. Aerial teams have been dropping water bombs to slow the fire’s advance, but authorities say conditions remain dangerous.

Jacques Piraud, mayor of Jonquières, reported that around 80% of his village had burned, with at least four houses completely destroyed. Across the region, at least 25 homes have been lost, and more than 2,500 households are without electricity.

The French government has mobilized national resources in response. President Emmanuel Macron expressed his support for firefighters and local authorities, urging residents to obey evacuation orders and stay vigilant. Prime Minister François Bayrou is expected to visit the fire zone on Wednesday.

Authorities have closed several roads and warned evacuees not to return until further notice. “The fire is advancing in an area where all the conditions are ripe for it to progress,” said Lucie Roesch, secretary general of the Aude area.

Experts say the region’s vulnerability has grown in recent years due to declining rainfall and the removal of vineyards, which once helped act as natural firebreaks.

According to France’s emergency management agency, nearly 15,000 hectares have burned nationwide this summer in more than 9,000 separate fires, most of them now accounted for by the Aude blaze.

Roesch warned the operation to contain the fire is far from over: “It will keep us busy for several days. It’s a long-term operation.”