2023-04-17 16:58:20
In southern France, the first major forest fire of the year has destroyed around 1,000 hectares of vegetation. “Because of climate change, the season of forest fires is starting earlier and earlier,” said Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, who took stock of the situation on Monday. According to the fire department, the fire was under control, but it cannot be ruled out that it will spread once more as a result of strong winds.
The fire broke out on Sunday between Cerbère and Banyuls-sur-Mer on the Mediterranean. About 300 people had to leave their homes temporarily. The fire partially reached the front yards.
Banyuls-sur-Mer is the terminus of the legendary GR10 long-distance footpath, which crosses the Pyrenees from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. The fire had been fanned by strong winds and spread across the borders into Spain. More than 500 firefighters were deployed.
It is the largest forest fire in France so far this year, at an unusually early point in time. So far, forest fires in France have mainly broken out in midsummer.
France suffered from extreme drought last summer. There was also an unprecedented winter drought. In January and February there were 32 days in a row without precipitation. At the end of the winter, 80 percent of the groundwater reservoirs were not sufficiently filled.
“We expect a bad summer, at least as bad as the summer of 2022,” said the interior minister. Last year, half of the forest fires broke out north of the Loire, in regions that had previously been spared.
The Pyrénées-Orientales department is one of the most affected regions. The numerous withered trees, including oaks and other relatively hardy species, increase the risk of forest fires. Four villages have had no drinking water since Friday, and many farmers fear for their livelihoods.
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