France, Aug. 6 -- One person was killed and several firefighters were injured after a fire swept through 11,000 hectares of forest between Lagrasse and Ribaute in the Aude region of southern France.

The victim, described as an elderly woman, was found dead in her house in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse as more than 1,500 firefighters battled the blaze that broke out on Tuesday afternoon.

Seven aircraft dropped thousands of tonnes of water from the air to prevent the flames from reaching homes in the villages of Lagrasse, Fabrezan and Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse. Water drops from the aircraft restarted on Wednesday morning as more than 300 firefighters from neighbouring regions were set to arrive as reinforcements.

Several roads were...