The fire which has ravaged 650 ha of forest since Thursday in the Cévennes, in the north of Gard, evolved "favorably" on Friday, in a "high-risk context" where firefighters were overstretched with other fire starts to manage in the department.
According to Jean Rampon, sub-prefect of Alès, interviewed on franceinfo, "We remain very vigilant (...) we do not know how to predict or risk starting the fire"
550 firefighters still mobilized
Météo France had placed the Gard on Friday "on maximum alert for forest fires" due to the heat, gusts of wind and vegetation weakened by extreme and early drought.
550 firefighters from all over France remained mobilized overnight from Friday to Saturday to ensure that this dozen fire starts did not evolve further.
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“We are working the fire on its edges, but it will be a very long fire to finish because there are kilometers of edges.
We will be able to speak of a controlled fire when there is no longer any risk of resumption.
But with the very unfavorable weather conditions we are facing, it may not be before Sunday, ”said Lieutenant-Colonel Éric Agrinier, communications officer for the Gard firefighters, on Friday.
No homes affected
Regarding the damage, "fortunately, there were no homes affected", welcomes Jean Rampon, sub-prefect of Ales.
According to him, the fires mainly affected the wooden poles, necessary for landline telephone lines.
VIDEO.
In the heart of the mega fire of Gard
The State representative also explains why access to the garrigue and forests of the Gard has been prohibited for the next: “The fewer people there are in the massifs, the less they are exposed to fires”.
This measure should also make it possible to prevent new outbreaks of human-caused fires.