Fire in the Gard: the fire now “fixed”

It is almost the end of the “mega fire” which took shape in Gard and Bouches-du-Rhône on July 7. It took 900 agents and dozens of airdrops to bring it under control. We take stock.

[Mis à jour le 8 juillet à 16h56] “The fire is no longer progressing”, indicated the sub-prefects of the Gard department. The fire that has ignited Gard and Bouches-du-Rhône since July 7 is now “fixed”, Colonel Olivier Tudela, head of the Bessèges command post, told BFMTV, who however confirms to remain vigilant and maintain “a significant level of risk”. In fact, the outbreaks of fire are still fanned by the gusts of wind which blow at 60, even 80 km / h this Friday, July 8. This mistral is the “absolute enemy” of firefighters fighting against the spread of flames, as Lieutenant-Colonel Éric Agrinier, president of the SDIS du Gard, explained to AFP. The latest victim of the wind is the town of Sainte-Anastasie, which still reported a “new start of forest fire” “near the Saint-Nicolas bridge” around 3 p.m. Consequently, the Gard prefecture evacuated the site of La Baume, and the Saint-Nicolas bridge”, while the D979 remains “closed to traffic”. A 4 Canadair, a water bomber helicopter and a hundred Firefighters are still deployed there.

On Thursday July 7, 700 firefighters were called in to fight the fire; 200 others came as reinforcements on July 8, not to mention the 200 vehicles, but also the frequent air drops from Civil Security Dash planes. They finally (almost) came to the end of the flames which would have already destroyed 600 hectares, according to Lieutenant-Colonel Laurent Joseph interviewed by BFM TV this July 8. Rescuers speak of this conflagration as a “mega-fire”, a term usually used in the United States or Australia, where large fires regularly strike large spaces. In this intervention to save the fauna and flora of the Gard, 18 firefighters were injured on July 7, as reported this morning on BFMTV Caroline Cayeux, the Minister Delegate for Local Authorities.

Yesterday, Thursday July 7, the department of Gard ignited. Around 5 p.m., the fire broke out in the hamlet of Bordezac, located north of Alès: it then spread to the Bessèges sector. Whether by drought or by the blowing of a strong mistral – the origin having not yet been determined – the outbreaks of fire have multiplied, until becoming uncontrollable: we recorded more than 30 during the day yesterday. According to Lieutenant-Colonel Éric Agrinier, spokesperson for the SDIS du Gard, on July 8, in the Gard department “between 11.30 a.m. and 8 p.m., we recorded more than 30 fire starts, including 12 between 4 and 6 p.m. hours. It’s an intense activity that is exceptional, “he explained on BFMTV. Faced with the 600 hectares of burnt vegetation, 180 firefighting machines are engaged. “The human toll is 0 victim. It’s a miracle,” concluded Eric Agrinier.

Already in mid-June, the fires were linked in the Gard, with 51 fire starts reported to the Gard departmental fire and rescue service (Sdis 30) on June 11. In total, these fires required the mobilization of 588 firefighters and 172 vehicles. The Gard firefighters then recalled that statistically, 90% of fires are of human origin. “Human activity is the main cause of fire outbreaks: 90% of fire outbreaks are due to an economic activity (construction sites, agricultural activities, etc.) or an everyday activity (cigarette butts cigarettes, barbecues or campfires). Half of these man-made fires are due to recklessness and dangerous behavior, both by tourists and local residents”, they recalled on the networks. For the fire at the beginning of July, on the other hand, no cause has yet been clearly identified. An investigation will be opened by the prosecutor to determine the origins of this “mega fire”.

Faced with the scale of the disaster, measures have already been taken. They first concern the reinforcements: the Gard firefighters were able to count on the support of columns from neighboring departments: in total, they were 700 firefighters and rescuers deployed on July 7, as specified in a tweet from civil security. . They were also helped by the intervention of 7 Canadair, 3 Dash, 2 Beech as well as the Dragon 131 which resumed their air rotations around 6:30 this morning. This Friday, the number of agents in intervention is around 900.

Level recommendations to the population, in the Gard, the prefect is preparing to issue an order prohibiting the fireworks scheduled for July 14 as a “precautionary measure”, also reported Caroline Cayeux. In Bordezac more precisely, the inhabitants “must remain confined” at home, indicated the prefecture of Gard this Friday in a press release, insofar as the fire is still active. To “reduce the risk of new fires starting”, the prefect of Gard has also just prohibited access to the forest massifs of the department, under penalty of a fine of 750 euros. The measure will apply at least until July 11. Similarly, the RD51 (north exit) and the RD184 (north access) remain closed. In Générac, on the other hand, in the south of the department, the fire is definitely “fixed”: the information had been transmitted by the Gard firefighters on Twitter: “100 Gard firefighters and 30 machines are still deployed on this fire which is fixed but will remain under surveillance throughout the day”, can we read on their account.