About twenty people were poisoned Tuesday after the implementation of brazier fires by arborists from two towns in the Tarn fearing for their orchards already affected by the frosts of last week, said the prefecture.
"Significant smoke releases were caused by the fire of 150 tonnes of straw fed by diesel fuel (...), with smoke which spread over 5 km"
around Ambres and Lavaur, underlined the prefecture in a press release.
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"Eight people were taken care of by the firefighters and 13 people went to the emergency room for intoxication problems"
, she added, specifying that the fumes had also caused a great hindrance to traffic.
Eight vehicles and 32 firefighters were hired to extinguish the fire, as well as four ambulances to rescue people intoxicated by the release of smoke, according to the same source.
"The departmental health regulations provide that open-air fireplaces used to protect crops and vineyards against frost cannot be powered by fuels likely to cause opaque fumes or toxic combustion products"
, recalled the prefecture.
The frost, which covered a large part of France last week, is shaping up to be one of the worst in decades, with many crops, vineyards and orchards in particular, having been hit from north to south of the country.
Prime Minister Jean Castex on Saturday promised
"exceptional envelopes"
to help farmers deal with
"probably the greatest agronomic disaster of the beginning of the 21st century"
, according to Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie.