Forest fires: Bouches-du-Rhône on red alert this Sunday

The Bouches-du-Rhône region is on red alert for forest fires on Sunday, August 3, with a "very high" risk of fires starting due to stronger winds, Météo-France warned. According to the meteorological institute, the mistral and tramontane winds are expected to strengthen this weekend, "up to 70 to 80 km/h at peak speeds, maintaining a high fire danger level around the Mediterranean."

The prefecture of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region has also banned access, traffic, and work in sixteen of the twenty-five forest areas in Bouches-du-Rhône. The areas affected are "Alpilles, Arbois, Calanques, Cap Canaille, Castillon, Chaîne des Côtes, Chambremont, Cote Bleue, Grand Caunet, Lançon, Les Roques, Montagnette, Pont de Rhaud, Quatre Termes, Rougadou, Sulauze," the prefecture stated on the social network X.

In addition to Bouches-du-Rhône, the risk of fires will be high in the departments of Aude, Hérault, Drôme, Vaucluse, Pyrénées-Orientales, Gard and Var.

In the Var, access to seven forest areas is "not recommended" , announced the prefecture, on X, due to "severe fire risk" . These are the massifs of Monts Toulonnais, Sainte-Baume, Haut-Var, Corniche des Maures, Maures, Estérel and Centre-Var.

In the second half of the month, the mistral and tramontane winds, coupled with heat and drought, encouraged the outbreak of significant fires, particularly in Aude and Bouches-du-Rhône.

Halfway through the summer season, civil security has already counted more than 5,000 hectares burned across the entire national territory, with 9,000 fires starting since the beginning of the year, mainly on the Mediterranean coast.