Paris [France], August 7 (ANI): Firefighters in France are battling the country's biggest wildfire in nearly eight decades for a third consecutive day, as more than 16,000 hectares have already been burned in the southern region of Aude, France 24 reported.

One person has died, three are reported missing, and two others--including a firefighter--are in critical condition.

According to France 24, the wildfire, which began on Tuesday around 100 km from the Spanish border near the Mediterranean Sea, has spread rapidly and remains uncontrolled.

'As of now, the fire has not been brought under control,' Christophe Magny, one of the officials leading the firefighting operation, told BFM TV. He added, 'I hope the blaze could be contained later in the day.'

Drone visuals shared by Reuters TV and cited by France 24 show vast stretches of charred forest and heavy smoke rising across the region. The affected area is now one-and-a-half times the size of Paris, making it the largest wildfire in France since 1949, officials confirmed to France 24.

While speaking to France Info radio, Environment Minister Agns Pannier-Runacher noted that the blaze is now progressing more slowly. 'The fire is now advancing more slowly,' she said.

France 24 also reported that the country's weather office has issued a fresh warning for a new heatwave expected to begin Friday in other parts of southern France, potentially lasting several days.

Last month, a wildfire that reached the southern port city of Marseille left around 300 people injured, further underlining the growing wildfire risk across southern Europe this summer.

Climate scientists continue to warn that rising global temperatures are contributing to the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires across Europe. According to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service, Europe is warming at twice the global average since the 1980s. (ANI)