"We have preserved nature, we would like to keep it": a decree taken in Sarthe in the face of fire risk

High temperatures, very dry atmosphere, tramontane and mistral winds. The risk of fire is high in the South of France this weekend.

Aude, Pyrénées-Orientales, Hérault, Gard, Bouches-du-Rhône and Vaucluse are on red alert for fire danger this Sunday, August 17, according to Météo-France, representing a very high risk. Aude is even at "extreme" risk of fire , a first in the department since 2016. 14 departments are also on orange alert, representing a high risk.

So some departments are taking the lead, like Sarthe . Since Monday, August 11, access to the department's forests, which are under yellow alert, has been restricted. On Wednesday, the order was even extended: until Monday, August 18 at noon, access to woods and forests is prohibited from noon to midnight.

Other activities are prohibited in the decree: barbecues, campfires, setting off fireworks or using pyrotechnic devices, driving or parking a motorized vehicle (off paved roads), using equipment that could cause a fire, recreational shooting including hunting.

A decision that was more or less well understood by vacationers at the Saint Léonard des Bois municipal campsite. The campsite is located at the foot of a wooded hill and close to several hiking trails.

This is one of the reasons why vacationers like Jean-Yves come here. He has his hiking boots on, and with the prefectural decree, he has adapted his plans: "We had planned to go up there but we can't, so we're going to take a short walk along the road, along the river."

Hiking is prohibited after noon. David, for his part, is delighted to go and rest by the river rather than go hiking as planned. Even if he finds the order a little harsh: "It's a bit excessive, though, because 30°C is a relatively normal temperature for August."

"I don't remember that in the last 15 years, as soon as it was 30°C, I was forbidden to walk in the forest in fact," he asks.

Richard Guillot is the owner of the campsite. He supports the decision. He notes that this summer is particularly dry: "You've seen our land, there's almost no grass left, it's turned into straw. It's easily flammable."

"We have preserved nature, we would like to keep it," he insists on RMC .

Especially since he has already seen forest fires here: "It's this hill that burned, this part up there burned about twenty years ago and it still hasn't grown back. These are pine trees, they burn very, very quickly." Sarthe has experienced several fires, including one recently. On August 15, 1,000 m2 of forest went up in smoke because of a car fire. But also in June this year, where several fires during periods of intense heat burned more than 25 hectares.

So to preserve the forests, Richard Guillot does not hesitate to remind campers of safety instructions.