Firefighters mobilized to face fire risk

In Espira-de-l’Agly (Pyrénées-Orientales), every centimetre of the burnt area is wetted to prevent the fire from reigniting on Tuesday 20 August. The flames have destroyed 3.5 hectares of vegetation and the ground is highly flammable. “The fire is still possibly smoldering underground”explains Camille Bazin, a volunteer firefighter in Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales). On Monday, August 19, a fire stopped at the gates of a campsite and 3,000 vacationers were evacuated.

Several hours after the fire, the ground is still very hot. Reeds are cut a few meters from the houses. “This will prevent fires from breaking out again”says a firefighter. Their vigilance is increased, because the weather conditions remain conducive to the risk of fire with very strong winds. The department is marked by an extreme drought. To act quickly, a dozen intervention groups are positioned in very threatened massifs. Firefighters have also come as reinforcements from Slovakia.