“We have a fairly explosive cocktail,” warns Colonel Jérôme Bonnafoux, commander of the Hérault SDIS.

The Hérault department has been placed on orange heatwave alert from Friday, as well as a “high” fire risk.

“We have a pretty explosive cocktail” for the fire risk on Friday, August 9, estimates on franceinfo Colonel Jérôme Bonnafoux, commander of the departmental fire and rescue service of the Hérault department. The department is placed at “high” risk of forest fires, as are seven other departments in the south of France, according to Météo France. Hérault is also on orange heatwave alert, like four other departments (Aude, Gard, Vaucluse and Bouches-du-Rhône), which join the Pyrénées-Orientales, already on alert since Tuesday. In the Hérault department, 12 forest areas are closed due to “very high risks” of fire.

“For several weeks now, the vegetation has started to suffer from the heat”explains the colonel, “and if we add a little wind, as expected, we have a fairly explosive cocktail” in terms of fire risk. Late rains this season have also prevented “to clear the brush completely”, which increases the risk. Three areas of the department are therefore at risk “very severe” of fire, while “When you have a very severe risk area, you can already have a difficult day”warns Jérôme Bonnafoux. As a result, 12 forest areas are closed, completely forbidden to tourists, who unfortunately “do not necessarily know the dangers at very high risk”.

Friday, “There will be nearly 350 firefighters on the ground, ready to intervene”. “Firefighting is a matter of time,” he explains, it is therefore necessary “commit significant resources”. “In France, the fight strategy is a massive attack against nascent fires”, so, several “forest patrol trucks” will be in place.