Fires: A high-risk start to summer in the south of France

At the start of this scorching summer, fires have already begun to rage. On Saturday, July 5, three departments, still on orange heatwave alert since June 27, experienced large-scale fires. While these are now being brought under control, hundreds of hectares of forest have already been destroyed. With climate change, these phenomena are multiplying and intensifying .

In Hérault, on the Gardiole massif, between Sète and Montpellier, a fire broke out early in the afternoon of July 5, leading to the closure of the A9 motorway. It had time to ravage 400 hectares of forest and vegetation before being brought under control during the night of Saturday to Sunday, July 6, "around 1:00 a.m.," Lieutenant-Colonel Jérôme Bonnafoux of the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service (SDIS34) told AFP by telephone. However, the area remains under the surveillance of 200 firefighters this Sunday, July 6 , "to deal with hot spots and edges."

In the Bouches-du-Rhône region, a fire that broke out about fifteen kilometers from Marseille was contained on the afternoon of July 5. It destroyed approximately one hundred hectares of forest. The fires forced the evacuation of 150 people and mobilized 350 firefighters, two water-bombing helicopters, and two Canadair aircraft. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined by the gendarmerie.

The Aude fire started with a car fire on the A61 motorway, a week after a major fire. Nearly 500 hectares of vegetation have gone up in smoke since it broke out, requiring another 200 firefighters and aerial resources. As of 8:00 a.m. Sunday morning, "the fire is contained but not under control," a press release from the prefecture stated.

While the orange heatwave alert has been lifted in Hérault and Bouches-du-Rhône, the departments were placed on red alert for forest fires on Sunday. This alert level is also expected to apply to Var and Aude from Monday, with a ban on access to forest areas.