The work of the firefighters is not yet finished.
The fire which has traversed 850 hectares of vegetation in the mountain of Alaric (Aude) since Saturday "is contained but not fixed" and could require "5 days of surveillance", indicated Sunday afternoon the firefighters.
“The fire is contained, we are still working on the edges, there are a few times.
We have 40 km / h of wind, a very low humidity and the drought is important which obliges us to maintain the whole of the device of 900 personnel ”, specified Lieutenant-Colonel Christian Belondrade.
It was yesterday, we passed the A61 at the start of the Moux fire 😳🔥🧯 # Moux #incendie #Aude pic.twitter.com/FpiMZ1UttG
- Likkange (@Likkange) July 25, 2021
"We will have at least 5 days of surveillance on the fire, with the weather still unfavorable for two days and the wind turning Wednesday," said this officer of the Departmental Fire and Rescue Operational Center (Codis) of Aude .
A balance sheet for the moment limited
Drones flew over the area covered by the flames on Sunday and revealed "green areas".
The images are being analyzed by firefighters who are assessing the extent of the damage.
🔥 Aude: The #Moux fire has now burned 800 hectares!
Wind and drought complicate its control ...
(📹 Sylvain Legras) https://t.co/GGfmWI548F pic.twitter.com/fDYzARJ8i6
- Alexandre (@alex_le_bars) July 24, 2021
The results are for the moment limited with a damaged house in the town of Moux while "(that) about thirty houses" were saved from the flames in the Fontcouverte sector thanks to the aid action.
"More than 1,500 hectares of vegetation have also been preserved over the entire massif", underlined Lieutenant-Colonel Belondrade.
The 120 people who had been evacuated on Saturday “as a precaution” were all able to return to their homes, said the chief of staff of the prefect of Aude, Joëlle Gras.
"We call for the vigilance of the population in view of these extremely difficult conditions," added Joëlle Gras.
The fire broke out on Saturday around 11:00 am on the central reservation of the A61 between the towns of Moux and Foncouverte, "probably because of a cigarette butt" then "spread very quickly". Sunday, the Aude firefighters had to face three new fire starts in the municipalities of Fitou, Lézignan and Saint-Couat-d'Aude.