French firefighters on Wednesday battled to halt the spread of a wildfire in the south of the country that has left one person dead as emergency workers in Spain subdued a fire that had forced the evacuation of more than 1,500 people from a resort.

With Europe facing fresh August heatwaves as concerns grow over the impact of global warming, many areas are on alert for the risk of wildfires.

The French blaze, which started on Tuesday, has destroyed or damaged 25 homes in the southern Aude department, where some 2,000 firefighters are struggling to control the largest wildfire in France this summer.

It has killed one person and injured 13 others, two of them seriously.

"The fire is still very active and the situation remains unfavourable," said Lucie Roesch, secretary general of the Aude

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