France wildfire LIVE: Thousands of firefighters struggle against fire bigger than Paris

With over 2000 French firefighters struggling to contain the vast wildfire spreading across Aude, the European Union has announced it is sending in reinforcements.

President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: "Europe stands with France as the worst wildfires in its recent history rage in Aude. My thoughts are with the brave firefighters as they battle the blaze."

The organisation's disaster response arm, rescEU, which has a fleet of firefighting planes, will deploy alongside the 2190 firefighters from across France currently battling the Aude blaze.

Images emerging from Carcassonne, right in the middle of the vast Aude wildfire, reveal firetrucks driving through an apocalyptic landscape, with swathes of vegetation burning ferociously into the night.

In the dramatic footage, firefighters can be seen making cautious progress, as the forest that lines the roads through the area around historic Carcassonne can be seen going up in flames.

Four firefighters were injured on Wednesday amid the mass mobilisation of France's emergency responders, after their vehicle flipped while racing to contain the 16,000-hectare wildfire.

The fire tanker had travelled 250 miles from a station near Lyon to reinforce their embattled colleagues when the "tragic accident" unfolded.

Due to the serious injuries suffered by the driver of the fire truck, an air ambulance was called to rush them to a hospital in Toulouse.

Local mayor Simon Plenet praised the work of the injured firefighters, saying: "To these men committed to all of us, I extend, on behalf of the commune and the urban area, all our support and our deep gratitude. Our thoughts go out to their families, their brothers in arms, and all the firefighters mobilised against the flames in the south of France."

The fire that started by the side of a road in the southerly Aude region of France on Tuesday afternoon has spread to around 16,000 hectares of land in a day and a half.

Temporary shelters for roughly 1800 displaced residents have been established across the area. Authorities have ordered people to stay off the roads to allow the rapid deployment of resources as the fire affects further municipalities.

One woman has been killed in the incident, the largest wildfire in almost 80 years, with three other civilians severely injured. 11 firefighters have also been injured, with one remaining in a critical condition.

Prime Minister Bayrou visited the area on Wednesday to witness the massive operation to restrain the out-of-control fire. He told local media, "It was very important for us to be there.

"This disaster is unprecedented. Hundreds of thousands of people have been affected."

France's vast wildfire continues to burn for its second night, with major resources deployed in a bid to tackle the raging inferno.

Soaring temperatures and drought conditions have allowed the wildfire to spread rapidly, burning through mile after mile of forest and vineyard in the Aude region.

This area, in between Toulouse and Narbonne, has seen thousands of residents evacuated with firefighters struggling to contain the incident. President Emmanuel Macron has said that "all the nation's resources are mobilised" to contain the 15,000-hectare fire.

Alongside 2190 firefighters, 20 aircraft were also deployed in an attempt to contain the Aude wildfire, the largest in France since 1949.

Dramatic footage shows the aerial operation against the fire, with a plane engaging in a water bombing run to douse the flames. More than 300 such drops were made on Wednesday, but the fire has continued to spread.

The cause of the fire remains unknown, with an investigation now underway. Firefighter Adrien Santarelli told L'Indépendant . "For my part, I think it was more a cigarette butt thrown from a car! It started above the road and spread very quickly."

Authorities in France have laid the blame for the rampaging wildfire on climate change and a local drought, which has turned much of the vegetation and woodland in the Aude region into a tinderbox.

France's typically warm south has seen exceptional levels of heat in recent weeks, with high winds on Tuesday and Wednesday blamed for stoking the flames, which have torn through 58 square miles of countryside, injuring 13 people.

With so much fuel for the fire and a heatwave with no end in sight, the inferno has gutted buildings and vehicles in its path - completely destroying some villages and emitting a large black plume that meteorologists say can be seen from space.

French officials have heaped praise on the thousands of firefighters who responded to the wildfire, which has only escalated despite the vast operation to hold it back.

Julien Marion, France's Director General of Civil Security, said: "A fire of exceptional violence has been ravaging our territory. It is the largest in our country since 1949.

"Faced with this dramatic situation, the Civil Security Department has mobilized completely. This evening again, more than 2,000 firefighters and rescue workers are tirelessly engaged in fighting the flames."