About 1,400 firefighters were deployed on 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.

Firefighting operations continued on Saturday in south-western France to ensure that the largest wildfire the country has experienced in decades does not flare up again, a fire brigade spokesman said.

Satellite images revealed the scope of destruction in the south of France where an area larger than the country's capital Paris has been turned into ashes by a massive wildfire.