Fires near Montpellier: 500 firefighters mobilized, a firefighter seriously burned

A major fire destroyed nearly 360 ha of pine forest this afternoon in the Gard, in the Aubais sector between Montpellier and Nîmes. The fire broke out around 3 p.m. along departmental road 12. Around 7 p.m., nearly 500 firefighters were still fighting this fire which was not contained.

A firefighter in serious condition

Four firefighters were injured, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on Twitter around 6 p.m. Three of them are considered lightly injured, but the fourth, seriously burned, was airlifted in serious condition to Lapeyronie hospital in Montpellier, Lieutenant-Colonel Agrinier told the local channel later in the evening. Gard objective.

500 firefighters mobilized

The Aubais fire had already ravaged 360 ha of vegetation around 7 p.m., according to a final report given by Lieutenant-Colonel Agrinier at the microphone of Objectif Gard. Two homes were affected by the flames, according to this provisional report, and the firefighters carried out the safety of two elderly people, according to the Facebook account of the Gard firefighters.

An equestrian center also had to be evacuated. In total, nearly 500 firefighters are mobilized, according to Civil Security, as well as four Canadairs, a Dash and a water bomber helicopter, to try to control the flames fanned by high temperatures (38 ° C) and strong winds.

Fanned by the Mistral and the Tramontane, whose gusts blow at 60 km / h on dry ground, the fire progresses from 2.5 to 3 kilometers per hour, explained Commander William Borelly, in charge of communication.

Some preventive evacuations in districts of Aubais were in progress and a multipurpose room was opened in the village to accommodate these inhabitants, specified the prefecture and the firefighters.

In the Beaucaire sector a few kilometers away, where another fire started, the report around 8 p.m. reported 3 people slightly injured including a firefighter as well as 15 hectares of vegetation, two homes and a garage gone. up in smoke, according to the firefighters’ Twitter account.

The A9 motorway temporarily cut off

Around 4:30 p.m. traffic was interrupted on the A9 motorway and the A709, in both directions at Gallargues and Lunel, according to the civil protection of Hérault.

On social networks, photographs showed a large plume of smoke near the highway. “The fire does not affect the motorway, but a significant release of smoke presents a risk for traffic,” said Vinci, who has put in place traffic management measures on the A9 and the A54. Traffic was finally able to resume on the A9 motorway around 7:45 p.m. in both directions.

Temporarily closed, the A709 urban motorway was also able to reopen at 6:30 p.m. 3 km of traffic jams were recorded at the end of the afternoon in the direction of Spain and 4 km in the direction of Lyon.

Firefighters invite the population to avoid the areas affected by these fires and ask motorists on the A9 motorway not to slow down to take pictures of the flames. The Gard was placed on Saturday, for the first time this season, in “extreme danger” level for the risk of forest fire in the Gard Rhodanien zone.