This Monday evening, France 5 is showing a previously unseen documentary on the Jamy's World : ‘Extreme wildfires in France: are we ready?’. The programme looks back at one of the most devastating fires in France in recent years: the ‘ogre of the Corbières’, which struck the Aude department in August 2025. In just eight hours, this fire destroyed an area equivalent to that of Paris, raising a crucial question: How could a fire have grown to such proportions?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjFhUgob8JA
An extraordinary fire
With global warming, extreme fires such as the one in the Corbières are likely to become more frequent. This documentary explores the factors that allowed this fire to spread so rapidly, and asks: Is France well equipped to deal with this new threat? Jamy meets firefighters, pilots and scientists who are trying to better understand and predict the behaviour of these extraordinary fires.
Testimonials and solutions
What should you do if your home is threatened by a forest fire? To flee or to stay at home? Residents of the Aude region, who have been affected by the disaster, share their stories of those dark days. The documentary also features key figures in fire prevention: a forester, a winegrower and a livestock farmer, who explain how they help to protect the forests from fires.
Control measures
Jamy is also interested in human and technical resources mobilised to tackle these fires. Do we have enough aeroplanes? Canadair pilots, officials from the Aude fire service, and experts in civil protection aviation share their experiences and the challenges they face. Speakers include:
Jean-Baptiste Filippi, a researcher specialising in numerical fire modelling.
Colonel Christophe Magny, Chief of the Aude Fire Service.
Delphine Grail-Dumas, head of the Civil Protection Air Resources Group.
Jean-Marc Mateo, a Canadair pilot.
Now available in Video on demand or tonight on France 5.