The Hérault firefighters have been working since Tuesday morning on two forest fires which broke out five minutes apart east of Gignac on the Aumelas plateau.
“The flame fronts in the scrubland, the undergrowth, the oaks and the pines are spreading freely, significant reinforcements are requested”, indicated at the end of the morning a source close to Sdis 34, to our colleagues from the Metropolitan.
The fire has already consumed between 50 and 100 hectares of pine forest since this morning according to information collected by BFMTV.
Several preventive evacuations have taken place, particularly in the Mas d'Arnaud and Mas d'Ancoste sectors.
Images of the #fire in progress in the #Hérault between Gignac and Aumelas.
Video: Benjamin Molinier for @MeteoLanguedoc pic.twitter.com/SuTLvQFzIy
— Weather Languedoc (@MeteoLanguedoc) July 26, 2022
Significant resources already in place
About 200 firefighters and gendarmes from the Lodève company are on site.
According to France 3, the human and material resources on the ground are reinforced by a dash plane that has already dropped a product that retards the spread of the flames.
Three canadairs are also called upon, as well as three planes from the departmental cell of the Hérault firefighters.
#ForestFires |
Important fire sector of #Gignac in the Herault.
Avoid the area to facilitate emergency access.
The @SDIS34 #firefighters are fully mobilized.
pic.twitter.com/7ZrA60gysY
– Firefighters of France (@PompiersFR) July 26, 2022
The firefighters had to put it out in very harsh conditions: a 50 km/h wind was blowing continuously in the area.
In addition, the heat wave of the last few days has dried up the soil, which makes the intervention even more difficult.
Before the fire broke out, the region was already on heatwave orange vigilance alert.
2:35 p.m. - #Fire still very active in #Hérault 🔥
The #fire remains virulent between Saint-Bauzille-de-la-Sylve (photo below) and the Aumelas plateau.
Photo: Morgan Delpech for Météo Languedoc pic.twitter.com/XFC0GKd3mR
— Weather Languedoc (@MeteoLanguedoc) July 26, 2022