The government announced on Friday July 1 that it had launched the national forest fire prevention campaign, when nine out of ten fires are of human origin and the current drought "
is an aggravating factor
".
Read alsoDrought and forest fires, this scourge of the South that is reaching the North
"
In the event of a drought, a heat wave or a strong wind, a poorly extinguished cigarette butt, thrown from a car window or on the side of the road, a spark in a field or a garden can be enough to devastate hectares of vegetation or forest in just a
few minutes
”, according to a press release from the government, which is leading this campaign for the fifth consecutive year.
“Let know the good reflexes”
In 2021, a fire that started in a motorway service area claimed the lives of two people and led to the evacuation of around 10,000 people in the hinterland of Saint-Tropez.
"
The drought that is currently affecting our country is an aggravating factor
", warns the government in its press release.
“
The sensitivity of vegetation to fire is very high and so is the risk of fire outbreaks
”, with fires declared from the first half of June.
The government wants to insist this year on "
the need to adopt and make known good reflexes
", such as throwing cigarette butts in an ashtray for smokers, being careful when smoking in a car with the window open, clearing brush in your garden, not doing barbecue in the middle of nature or even watch out for sparks when working outside.
Read alsoClimate: increasingly frequent and intense fires in the forest
The campaign runs "
from June 17 to August 30 via radio, display, digital and a special operation on TikTok
", according to a press kit.
