Firefighters fear that major conflagration in southern France is prelude to extreme summer

A forest fire which destroyed 1,000 hectares in the south-west of France on Sunday is now under control. However, firefighters are concerned that it is just the beginning of what will be an extreme summer due to the drought in the region.

Aircraft such as the Dash water bomber were used to put out flames of a forest fire that broke out in the Pyrénées-Orientales, Sunday April 16, 2023. © SDIS 33 via AP

The fire broke out on Sunday morning between the towns of Cerbère and Banyuls-sur-Mer, in the southwest of France, bordering Spain.

Fanned by a strong wind sometimes peaking at up to 100 kilometres per hour, the fire ravaged nearly 1,000 hectares of the hilly area. It destroyed vineyards, several houses and cars. 

No injuries or deaths were reported.

Some 500 firefighters, supported by six water bomber planes were needed to bring the blazes under control.

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, who visited the area on Monday, said more hours of work would be needed to avoid the risk of embers spreading.

Incendie dans les Pyrénées-Orientales : le feu maîtrisé après avoir ravagé plus de 900 hectares de végétation https://t.co/aJ2y26wLT9

— Le Monde (@lemondefr) April 17, 2023

"It happened so quickly, and with the wind, we practically couldn't stand up (...) Honestly, we had never experienced that," resident Jean-Claude Portella told French news agency AFP.

About 300 people were evacuated on Sunday afternoon as a precaution. Most were able to return to their homes during the evening, according to the prefecture.

It is the largest fire in France so far this year, occurring in a department already facing a cruel lack of rain and extreme dryness of the soil.

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"We are used to observing forest fires in winter," Romaric Cinotti, forest fire expert at weather bureau Météo-France told AFP.

"But what is particularly worrying in the Pyrénées-Orientales is the exceptional deficit of rain: in Cap Béar, the station closest to the fire, only 230 mm fell over the past year against 626 mm on average," he said.

Water restrictions

The drought linked to global warming, is already causing restrictions and tensions, with four villages being deprived of drinking water since Friday.

Farmers, many in this fruit and vegetable producing department, fear for their survival in this historically arid early spring.

• Macron rolls out water-saving plan as record drought saps resources

Faced with the high risk of fires, Darmanin stressed that firefighters could count on increased air resources this summer.

"We are going to experience an extremely difficult summer of 2023, probably at least as difficult as the summer of 2022," he said.

He noted that global warming had contributed significantly to an early fire season and that fires were no longer restricted to the south of the country.

"50 percent of the fires last summer were north of the Loire (river)," he said.

Firefighters remained on high alert Monday, warning it would take several days for the fire to go from "fixed to extinguished".

(with AFP)