“The fight is continuing, firefighters are still working on (fire) re-ignition,” 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 Aude firefighters 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 under “high vigilance” alert for heat wave, with temperatures expected in the Aude region of up to 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday.
Southern Europe has seen multiple large fires this summer. Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires.