“It is continuing, but the fire is progressing more slowly and fortunately no longer threatens homes,” a spokesperson for the Gard firefighters told AFP by telephone early Friday morning, adding that many edges of the fire remain. not accessible».
Barely dawn on Friday, the air resources resumed the drops, with two Milan engaged from 6:00 a.m., said the same source.
The fire broke out around 5:00 p.m. Thursday in the hamlet of Bordezac, on the edge of the Ardèche, north of Alès. The inhabitants of this hamlet as well as a few others from Bessèges had to be evacuated Thursday evening, and a hundred people were relocated according to the prefecture.
Gard firefighters were quickly joined by columns from other departments, to reach a total of 700 firefighters and rescuers, according to a tweet from civil security, which adds the intervention of 7 Canadair, 3 Dash , 2 Beech as well as the Dragon 131.
At midnight Thursday, firefighters reported «thousands of hectares at risk» in this heavily wooded area, the fire being fanned by extreme weather conditions: a violent wind and very dry trees.
Questioned by AFP, the sub-prefect of Alès, Jean Rampon, feared Thursday evening «a spectacle of desolation» in the morning, and feared an overflow of fire on the other bank of the Cèze, «where 10,000 hectares had burned in 1985».
Thursday, multiple other fires started in Gard and Bouches-du-Rhône, fortunately most were fixed before nightfall.