Hundreds of firefighters fought “a multiplicity of fire starts” in the Gard and the Bouches-du-Rhône, Thursday July 7, when the conditions are “extreme”due to a strong mistral and soils affected by an early drought.
In Arles (Bouches-du-Rhône), first of all, a fire started from reeds and brush around noon, “Driven by a very violent wind (…), the brush fire crossed the river in the middle of the commercial area and reached the other bank, where the dealers are located”described Audrey Soto, manager of a sports club in the commercial area of Fourchon, near the Géant Casino behind which the fire started. The major fire that broke out south of the city is “now fixed”, testified on France Bleu Provence the deputy director of the firefighters of Bouches-du-Rhône. He covered about 70 hectares.
>> TESTIMONY. Fire in Arles: 70 hectares covered, “I said to myself, I will die burned”
The flames jumped the National 113, a strategic axis which ensures the junction of the A54 between Nîmes and Marseille, reported a spokesman for the firefighters. The road was cut in both directions. Four Canadairs and up to 185 firefighters engaged in some kind of “urban guerrilla” in the sector, in order to “do everything” to prevent the fire from reaching nearby homes or businesses. At least eight homes were damaged, according to firefighters.
More than 120 #Firefighters13 are committed to @VilledArles to fight against one in a peri-urban environment.
Firefighters13 and 1 #DASH of the @SecCivileFrance are on site.
⚠️ Beware of the slowdown on the #N113 pic.twitter.com/b6ki1AIHmQ— Firefighters 13 (@Firefighters_13) July 7, 2022
The gusts reached up to 85 km / h in the Bouches-du-Rhône, where the prefecture had prohibited access to the 25 massifs of the department, from the Calanques National Park to the Alpilles. At the end of the afternoon, more than 160 firefighters from the department faced two fire starts: first in Martigues, in the Escaillon district, where the firefighters recommended closing the shutters and confining themselves. Then to Puy-Sainte-Réparade, above Aix-en-Provence.
>> A violent outbreak of fire in Martigues towards an inhabited area
In addition, some 120 firefighters were mobilized in the town of Générac (Gard) for a fire which had already burned 150 hectares of low vegetation and pines at the end of the afternoon, detailed a spokesperson for the firefighters. During this intervention, a firefighter was slightly injured and evacuated to a hospital. “The situation is evolving favorably on one side of the fire, but another side is still active”, explained Commander Tanguy Sagères, while the mistral complicates the work of firefighters.
The south of France is facing an extreme and early drought with many areas on heightened alert or even in crisis, such as in the Bouches-du-Rhône or the Alpes-Maritimes, with many restrictions. As of Wednesday, the firefighters had asked for responsible behavior in the face of a risk of forest fires “at the highest” for Thursday. They had then warned that the wind should not weaken on Friday.