2023-07-08 13:28:24
The Valais is increasing its vigilance in the face of the threat of forest fires. It is no longer possible to make open fires in several regions of the canton. This ban might become widespread soon given the expected heat wave.
About five to eight fires per week require the intervention of Valais firefighters. With the high temperatures and dry weather of recent weeks, the danger of fire is particularly marked. The canton is also exposed to foehn, increasing the risk of spread.
“If we have a foehn regime, with winds between 80 and 100 km / h, the fire spreads almost at that speed”, explains Olivier Bourdin, forest ranger at the Cône de Thyon yard in the 12:45 of the RTS . “The trees ignite like torches from tree to tree and there it can go very quickly,” he continues, estimating that in the space of an hour, three kilometers of forest can be affected.
High level danger
Faced with this risk of fire, the canton of Valais has raised the danger level of several districts from “marked” to “strong”. THE applicable rules indicate that open fires with an open hearth or even throwing cigarette butts is prohibited. It is also forbidden to use a charcoal grill within 100 meters of a forest.
The places of fixed fires, on concrete ground, can they “be used with the greatest caution”, specifies the canton, which indicates however that “burning matches and sparks of barbecue can cause a fire”.
The Canton of Valais also reports that in the event of a “strong” danger of fire, it will be “difficult and long to extinguish”. “If the forest burns, it can take several months to finish putting out the fire”, explains Jean-Christophe Clivaz, head of the Department of Forests, Watercourses and Landscape of the State of Valais.
Faced with the risk of fire, the canton of Valais has raised the danger level of several districts from “marked” to “strong”. [Canton du Valais]
Importance of prevention
Between 2000 and 2018, Switzerland experienced an average of 109 forest fires per year, mainly in Valais, Ticino and Graubünden. This situation requires the coordination of several trades every week.
“Firefighters must now train to have to live with the outbreak of fire”, notes Marie Claude Noth-Ecoeur, head of the Valais Civil and Military Security Service.
In the event of “strong” danger, several firefighters are mobilized to intervene. But for Marie Claude Noth-Ecoeur, it is prevention that is “primordial”. Indeed, 90% of forest fires are due to human action. A simple gesture can have serious consequences.
“The events that we see frequently are cigarettes that are badly extinguished and then left in the wild. And that creates fire starts,” explains Lucien Cottier, Sierre fire chief.
If the rain remains absent for the next few days in Valais, a general ban on lighting fires might be decreed.
Camille Lanci/edel
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