"Conditions are not good": the Aude prefecture warns of "extreme risk of forest fires" this Sunday

The eastern part of the Aude department, including the Corbières region, which was hit by the massive fire that started on August 5, will be at "extreme risk of forest fires" this Sunday, August 17, a first in the department since 2016, according to the Aude prefecture and firefighters.

"Sunday will be the most tense day. Wind will be strong, and we are moving to extreme risk in certain areas," Colonel Michael Sabot, deputy director of the Aude fire department, told AFP.

The areas affected include the Corbières and Narbonne coasts, located in the east of the department and already affected by several fires since the start of summer.

"The Aude department has not experienced this level of risk since 2016," the prefecture pointed out in a press release issued late Saturday.

A rise in the tramontane wind is expected with wind gusts of 60km/h, conducive to the spread of fires, while temperatures will rise to 39°C.

"The conditions are not good (...) we will be at the maximum level of six out of six: extreme risk," the Aude firefighters told AFP, planning "a major surveillance, beyond anything we have ever experienced."

A total of 1,200 firefighters are "on alert" throughout the weekend in the department, according to the prefecture, including 330 still mobilized to monitor the fire which started between the towns of Ribaute and Lagrasse and which is still not extinguished.

In addition to the ban on access to all forest areas in the department, "mechanical work (welding, chainsaws, angle grinders, etc.)" is prohibited for both professionals and individuals, the prefecture indicated.

At the same time, significant "traffic flows are expected over the August 15th long weekend," Lucie Roesch, secretary general of the prefecture, told AFP.

Placed on red alert on Saturday, there was "no major resumption" of the gigantic fire which covered 16,000 hectares, while a fire only covered 1.5 hectares at the end of the day, in Lanet, in the Corbières massif, "currently classified in a favorable situation, thanks to the massive attack strategy put in place", mobilizing 150 firefighters, four Canadair and one Dash, according to the Aude firefighters.

This Sunday, six departments will be on red alert for "very high" fire risk, including Aude, Hérault, Gard, Pyrénées-Orientales, Vaucluse and Bouches-du-Rhône.