By akademiotoelektronik, 12/04/2022

Narbonne fire: the fire is fixed, 300 ha burned, firefighters worried about the return of the wind

The fire that ravaged part of the Clape massif near Narbonne on Saturday is not yet extinguished this Sunday morning. The fire is circumscribed: it is fixed, that is to say that it is no longer progressing, confirmed the Sdis de l'Aude to La Dépêche. 290 to 300 hectares of pine forest and scrubland were ravaged by the flames between Gruissan and Narbonne-plage, according to a new estimate this Sunday morning. The sector difficult and sometimes impossible to access on foot.

220 firefighters remain mobilized on the ground this Sunday morning. They will treat the edges to avoid a resumption of the disaster. At the height of the fire, 480 firefighters battled the flames. The Aude firefighters received reinforcements from their colleagues from Pyrénées-Orientales, Hérault, Haute-Garonne, Ariège, Tarn and Bouches-du-Rhône.

Commander Frédéric Portet is the spokesperson for the Federation of Firefighters of France, explained on BFMTV: "There are still active points which are hot, which require all note of vigilance and our attention, to prevent these points hot can again, with the force of the wind, reach unburned areas and that we have new starts of fire". Firefighter monitoring will continue for several days.

To read also: Fire in Narbonne: 250 ha ravaged by flames, the fire set at the start of the night

Significant air resources were mobilized on Saturday to fight against the fire which was gaining ground between the Clape massif and Gruissan: six Canadair, 3 Dash (water bomber planes) and two helicopters. They carried out more than 400 drops on the massive fires; according to the spokesperson for Civil Security. A helicopter carried out a reconnaissance mission this Sunday morning, but the planes have not been reused for the moment.

Tramuntana worries firefighters

In their fight against the fire, the firefighters were able to count on the return of precipitation during the night. A rain that was welcome when the weather forecast predicts that the tramontana will rise this Sunday afternoon. It could blow at 50/60 km/h. The wind, which changed direction several times, nevertheless complicated the task of firefighters all day Saturday.

170 evacuations, no injuries

The 170 evacuees were all able to return to their vacation spot or home late Saturday evening. During the day, 140 occupants of a campsite and around thirty residents had to leave hastily for safety reasons. Houses, mobile homes and tents were saved by the flames.

The Sdis de l'Aude specifies in a tweet that the action of the firefighters has saved 800 hectares from the prey of the flames. This Sunday morning, the passage of the fire leaves blackened landscapes from which smoke still escapes. "Significant resources will remain mobilized all weekend", indicates the prefecture of Aude on its Twitter account.

No injuries were reported as a result of this fire. A firefighter, however, injured his ankle, according to the sub-prefect of Narbonne Rémi Recio.

Also read: SLIDESHOW. Narbonne-plage: return to the fire that ravaged the Clape massif

An investigation into the origin of the fire

The gendarmerie has opened an investigation to determine the origin of the fire which is not yet known. The fire started from the scrubland below the observation table from which it is possible to admire the landscape of the scrubland which flows into the Mediterranean.

This is the first big fire of the summer in the South of France.