Forest fire destroys over 40 hectares of land in south of France
Blaze took seven hours to tackle and affected two departments
The screenshot on the left shows the location of the blaze, which is shown on the right.
Screenshot of Google Maps / Hérault Prefecture
A forest fire which broke out on the border of the Aude and Hérault departments yesterday (July 29) has destroyed more than 40 hectares of land.
Around 330 firefighters were called to the blaze, which began in the commune of Montouliers (Hérault) and spread towards Bize-Minervois (Aude).
Firefighters were assisted by five aircraft (including a helicopter) based at the nearby Béziers-Cap d'Agde which dropped water onto the fire.
The blaze first broke out in the afternoon at around 13:00. It was successfully controlled by around 20:00.
It is unknown what caused it, but the two departments are currently facing heatwave warnings as temperatures reach 40C in the area.
Read more: 40.6C (in shade): French heatwave warnings expand to north
Nearly 60 hectares of land was affected with 43 hectares of forest and field being completely destroyed.
However, no homes were damaged and nobody was injured.
Forest fire risk remains high
State weather forecaster Météo France provides a forest fire risk map, showing which departments are more prone to see blazes starting due to effects including weather conditions and dryness of vegetation.
Currently, three departments (Gard, Var, and Vaucluse) are facing heightened tier-three orange warnings for forest fires, however Hérault and Aude are only on a tier-two yellow alert.
You can see the map, which provides information for the next 48 hours, here.
Read more: How does France's wildfire risk forecast work? Where can I see it?
Note that at departmental level prefects can enact additional restrictions and regulations, including limiting access to certain forests and areas more prone to fires.
This can also include the temporary banning of works (travaux) within certain communes bordering or in these areas.
To find if there are any restrictions in your department, you can google the name of your department plus ‘communiqués de presse’ to find a list of updates from the prefecture.
Not all departments will provide daily updates, and some may not have any specific warnings in place.
Read more: Alert over fire risk in French forests as most blazes caused by people
