It’s a Sunday like no other in Côte-d’Or, because it’s unprecedented in the department, it’s impossible to go for a walk in the forest. We forget picnics and walks. Faced with the very high risk of a fire starting, access is prohibited in the woods and the various forest areas from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. We talk about it with the president of the SDIS, the departmental fire and rescue service of the Côte-d’Or
Is the situation so serious as to prohibit access to the forests?
Indeed, if we are led to take these preventive measures, it is because we all have in mind that today more than 47,000 hectares have burned on national territory, and the phenomena that we have observed so far now on the southern flank, gradually touching the Côte d’Or, hence these preventive measures put in place. It is true that it is unprecedented. This is a first in the Côte d’Or department. If we could have dispensed with it, we would have. But unfortunately, the water stress of the plants that we have all been seeing for several weeks, these rising temperatures and particularly since this Saturday, the presence of the wind which did not exist the previous days oblige us to take this prefectural decree.
Why only this Sunday, between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m., since we imagine that the risk of fire will continue?
The prefectural decree only provides for this day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. We know that this Sunday, the Côte-d’Oriens will try to move to go for a picnic, spend leisure time, to go for walks in the forest as everyone can do regularly. But this phenomenon can be renewed from elsewhere from the following days, according to the climatic conditions in our department.
Are there sectors that are more affected than others, where the situation is really critical?
The situation is indeed worrying in the softwood sectors because these tree species are very conducive to fires. These are the sectors located between the Dijon metropolis and the Beaune agglomeration, the high coasts where the danger is real. There are softwood plantations that have been there for decades and are often accessible to walkers for picnics. And for firefighters, these are hard-to-reach areas.
What are the risks for those who do not respect this prohibition?
As with any prefectural decree, there are penalties provided for. They come under the forest code, the environment code and the penal code. But you should also know that above all these measures are taken above all for the good of people and property and also of course for the good of our environment.