2023-04-17 16:47:25
DECRYPTION – The Pyrénées-Orientales, affected by the first major fire of the year, have been facing a major drought for many weeks.
This is the first major fire of the year 2023. On Sunday April 16, a fire broke out in Cerbère and Banyuls-sur-Mer (Pyrénées-Orientales). The fire destroyed 930 hectares of vegetation. He was brought under control by firefighters overnight from Sunday to Monday, around 2 a.m. Most of the 300 evacuated residents were able to return to their homes. According to the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin, on site this Monday, it is the “biggest fire of the year 2023».
The early nature of such a fire, comparable to “a fire encountered in the summerAccording to the prefect of the Pyrénées-Orientales Rodrigue Furcy, quoted by the local media the Independent , worried about the future. At the microphone of franceinfo this Friday, the lieutenant of the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service (Sdis) of the Pyrénées-Orientales Christophe Ménigon planned a “very very high fire risk” for this summer. A risk that therefore materializes from the month of April.
“Extreme drought”
In particular, according to him,an extreme level of drynessin the department of Pyrénées-Orientales. “There is in this department a drought which is very early for this time of year», confirms Cyrille Duchesne, meteorologist for The Weather Channel *.
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«Last summer’s drought hasn’t really stopped sincesupports Hermeline Malherbe, president of the Departmental Council of Pyrénées-Orientales and the Sdis of the department. The ground is very dry and combustibles in it ignite much faster». In other words, the soil lacks water and does not slow the spread of fire.
In a hydrological situation bulletin published in mid-March, the public water information service pointed the finger at “sols [qui] have dried up over the entire territory“with the departments of Aude and Pyrénées-Orientales”particularly concerned». At the beginning of April, Météo-France also estimated that “the soil moisture index has been at record lows since December 22, 2022, excluding mid-February“. Comparable values”to a summer situation“in this department when”the soil situation was consistent with the season across Franceon April 1.
Similarly, the humidity level was around 30% in the area. “It is a threshold from which there is a risk of having to face virulent fires», indicates to Figaro Colonel Arnaud Wilm, spokesperson for Civil Security. “Moisture also slows the spread of fires», complete Cyrille Duchesne.
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Symbol of this major drought, four villages in the department have also been deprived of drinking water since April 14, reports franceinfo . «It’s catastrophic, it’s a situation never seen before and we’re probably entering the darkest period we’ve known in agriculture in the Pyrénées-Orientales.“Lamented Friday Bruno Vila, president of the Departmental Federation of Agricultural Operators Unions (FDSEA) of the Pyrénées-Orientales, quoted by AFP.
Thirsty plants and strong wind
The plants on site are therefore thirsty. We’re talking here about “stress” or of “choc» water. “That means they’re already dead on their feet, deciphers Arnaud Wilm. They no longer have rainwater and therefore no longer slow down the fire». Worse still, some dead plants have fallen to the ground and are helping to accelerate the spread of the fire.
Another element: the strong gusts of wind. “This weekend, the tramontana [un vent présent notamment dans les Pyrénées-Orientales, NDLR] blew on average between 80 and 100 km/h with peaks at 125explains Cyrille Duchesne. Which corresponds to a high slice». If the meteorologist suggests that such winds are usual for the area, it is their combination with the significant drought that allowed the fire to spread. “The risk was therefore maximum this weekend, due to the strong easterly winds and the droughtsums up Cyrille Duchesne.
In some places the winds were said to be “swirling“, that is to say turbulent and unstable, in particular because of the mountain range which “deflects and accelerates the wind in certain areas». The canadairs therefore very quickly had to cease their activity on the premises concerned for security reasons, letting the fire spread. According to the Pyrénées-Orientales department, certain land areas within the forest were difficult to access for fire trucks, further slowing their action.
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Because of the drought, the firefighters of the Pyrénées-Orientales will deploy preventive measures against forest fires.from the beginning of June“, a month earlier than in previous years, according to the president of the department Hermeline Malherbe. In the hope of not experiencing a nightmarish summer, similar to the mega fires in Gironde last July and August.
The Weather Channel is a property of the Figaro group*.
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