Forest Fire Pyrenees: 12,000 Evacuated – Situation in Southern France

Strategy of Tactical Fires

As Prefect Regnault de la Mothe explained, this means setting backfires to prevent the spread of the fire: "Das bedeutet, Gegenfeuer zu legen, um die Ausbreitung des Brandes zu verhindern." Because of unfavorable weather, the fire department had not been able to pursue this strategy at the fire front in front of the Aspres massif, he said.

Ongoing Drought Worsens the Situation

The ongoing drought is worsening the situation. In the affected département, it has "seit mehr als einem Monat überhaupt nicht geregnet und seit mehr als zwei Monaten nicht nennenswert geregnet," the authority stated. The extreme dryness is significantly favoring the spread of the flames.

Red Heat Alert Level in Spain

The situation is also tense on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees. Because of feared temperatures of up to 42 degrees, the Spanish weather service Aemet has issued the highest red heat alert level for parts of three eastern regions of the country. The red alert level means that the high temperatures can potentially have "sehr ernste Auswirkungen" on the health and property of the affected people.

The emergency services continue to fight the flames. The evacuations primarily affect people from the municipalities around Trévillach and the Aspres massif. When residents will be able to return to their homes was initially unclear. No precise information was provided about the exact size of the fire area either.