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New wildfire spreads through 225 hectares in southern France
Critical day for firefighters battling to contain blaze in Aude
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A wildfire in southern France has spread across 225 hectares of vegetation, with firefighters warning of a ‘critical’ day ahead as temperatures rise.
The blaze broke out at around 16:00 on Friday, September 4, in the commune of Puilaurens, in Aude, and remains active today (Saturday).
“Despite more favourable conditions during the night, the fire has not been stabilised [fixé],” the Aude prefecture said in a 9:30 update.
The area affected had increased to 225 hectares by Saturday morning, compared with around 150 hectares on Friday evening.
Around 350 firefighters are currently mobilised and tackling the blaze, supported by 100 vehicles. A Dash aircraft and a heavy water-bomber helicopter have also been deployed.
Additionally, the RD117 road remains closed to traffic from the Ours roundabout in Quillan to the Hameau de La Pradelle.
A specialist helicopter-borne intervention unit worked throughout the night in areas that are difficult for ground crews to access and will continue operating on Saturday.
The prefecture also warned that very high temperatures expected during the day would make conditions more difficult for firefighters.
The prefecture has urged the public to avoid the area to allow emergency services to work and to follow instructions from firefighters and gendarmes.
It also appealed to residents to avoid unnecessarily calling emergency services and to rely on official sources for updates.
The 32 people evacuated from the hamlet of Lavagnac as a precaution were allowed to return home on Saturday morning.
However, the mayor of Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes, Agnès Carrère, said: “As long as the fire is not stabilised, we are not safe,” ICI Roussillon reports, adding that further evacuations could be possible.
You can follow the progression of fires in France in the map published by the independent tracking service Feux Forets here.
On the map, red shows existing fires, orange fires that have been reported and black recently extinguished fires.
