South of Montpellier, a fire that covered 320 hectares has been "almost contained"

Fanned by a strong wind, a fire swept through 320 hectares, 150 of which burned, in Cournonsec, about fifteen kilometers south of Montpellier, on Monday, July 28, before being "virtually contained" by early evening, according to the secretary general of the Hérault prefecture, Véronique Martin, present at the fire brigade command post in Cournonsec.

"The entire population is no longer in danger and all homes have been saved, including areas with industrial buildings," she insisted, citing the case of an egg packing factory that was finally saved from the flames.

"The progression of the fire has been stopped towards Montbazin," the neighboring town, confirmed Colonel Eric Vial of the Hérault fire brigade, specifying however that there are "still many points of vigilance on the head of the fire, because it has traveled three kilometers from its point of origin, which means that we have an extremely long length of flanks to treat, with a wind established throughout the night." According to Colonel Vial, "several dozen homes were preserved and no evacuations were ordered."

Firefighters responded at 5:30 p.m. to a "grass and scrubland fire" caused by "the use of a grinder" for fencing work. Five hundred firefighters and 100 firefighting trucks were mobilized to deal with the blaze, supported by four Canadair fire engines.