In Aude, the fire will not be extinguished for several days

The fire in the Aude , which started on Tuesday, August 5, will not be extinguished for several days, affected by recurrences due to high temperatures, according to the firefighters, who remain on alert for the coming days, while the east of the department was at "extreme risk" of fire this Sunday, August 17.

The Corbières region affected by the exceptional fire in Ribaute and the Narbonne coast, classified as extremely vigilant this Sunday , remain under the high vigilance of the firefighters for the coming days, while the fire which had covered 16,000 hectares has been rekindling for several days.

A resumption of the fire "is being dealt with," the Aude firefighters told AFP at the end of the day, stressing that two water bombing helicopters were tackling the resumption of the fire.

For the fire that started between the towns of Ribaute and Lagrasse on Tuesday, August 5, "to be classified as extinguished," it will take "several days" and it "is far from being extinguished, since we have rekindled fires almost every day," even if, for the moment, they "are not significant," the firefighters explained.

On Sunday, the eastern part of the department was classified as being at extreme risk of fire, a first since 2016, "which clearly shows the seriousness of the situation and the very difficult weather conditions we are facing," Lucie Roesh, secretary general of the prefecture, told AFP on Sunday.

Despite the very high level of risk, combined with the very high traffic flows on the coast due to the August 15 bridge, no major fires have affected the department.

The 1,200 firefighters who have been mobilized will most likely continue in the coming days, according to Lucie Roesh. Given the orange heatwave alert, the "very dry" weather, and the wind expected in the department on Monday, "the mobilization will have to continue," she adds.

While the Aude region was classified as orange alert for high fire risk on Monday by the Météo des forêts (Forest Weather Service), the east of the department, affected by five fires since the beginning of summer and classified as red by the National Forestry Office (ONF), is still subject to "a very severe risk, which will nevertheless call for great vigilance," the firefighters emphasize.

"Given the weather conditions," they are already predicting "a risk of a major fire that could last until the end of September."