The fires continue in Ardèche. The fire ravaged 900 ha of land and led to the evacuation of several sites. A man, suspected of being an arsonist, was arrested near the fire, according to our information. The “criminal track is privileged, a police custody is in progress”, confirmed in the evening the parquet floor.
Some 550 firefighters and 100 intervention vehicles were mobilized, as well as five Canadair, a Dash and a civil security helicopter, underlines the prefecture, which indicates that “the main fire continues to progress along the Ardèche river and is heading towards the town of Vogüé where the action of the Ardèche firefighters is now concentrated”.
At this stage, there is “no threatened dwelling or injured person”, while the industrial zone of Lavilledieu has been “secured”. The authorities evacuated two factories as well as the Lavilledieu SPA, as well as a campsite in Saint-Privat. Homes and campsites in the village of Vogüé are also being evacuated according to the prefecture. “The objective is to ensure that the fire does not jump the Ardèche river to follow its course in the scrubland which is on the other side”, it was specified to the prefecture.
“A catastrophic summer, heat wave, drought…”
The village of Vogüé, “naturally protected by the cliffs”, was partially evacuated, with around 150 people affected, as well as 200 other people from campsites in the area, it was specified. Several roads were also cut, said the prefecture, adding that an investigation is underway to determine the origin of these fires, which broke out in the morning.
On social networks, a resident of Vesseaux filmed the plume, visible about ten kilometers around according to him. “A catastrophic summer, heat wave, drought… Our forests are disappearing when we need them so badly,” he laments.