In Aude, firefighters are still battling a major fire

The fire that broke out on Saturday along the Mediterranean coast in the Aude department is still spreading this Sunday morning, July 27, after sweeping through 610 hectares of vegetation and severely damaging two houses, according to the prefecture. More than 630 firefighters are working to control the blaze, which is still not contained, the sub-prefect of the Aude department, Rémi Recio, told AFP. They hope to succeed with the support of two Canadair jets and two water-bombing helicopters starting at 9:30 a.m., but wind gusts of up to 80 km/h are expected late morning.

The fire broke out early in the afternoon in Sigean, before spreading through hundreds of hectares of vegetation towards Port-la-Nouvelle. It is believed to have started along the edge of the A9 motorway, which connects the Rhône Valley to Spain, according to the sub-prefect.

On Saturday, two houses were badly damaged by flames in Sigean, one of which was almost completely destroyed, according to the same source. As a precautionary measure, the prefecture ordered the evacuation of two campsites, Camping Côte-Vermeille and Cap-du-Roc, as well as a housing development in the commune of Port-la-Nouvelle. Two gymnasiums in the commune were made available to accommodate the 1,000 evacuated holidaymakers and residents. However, all were able to return to their homes and campsites on Saturday evening.

Météo-France had placed the Aude department on orange alert for a "high risk" of fire for Saturday. "The heatwave that hit the country from June 19 to July 4 accentuated soil dryness and weakened vegetation," with, after the spring rains, "the development of numerous herbaceous plants that dried out following a historically very hot and dry June," the meteorological service emphasized.

This fire comes less than a month after the Aude department was hit by another, which covered 2,100 hectares near Narbonne. It mobilized 1,000 firefighters, who battled the flames throughout the night of July 7-8.