The series of fires that ignited the Department of Aude on Sunday is set, according to the departmental fire and rescue service (SDIS). The lights extended over 400 hectares and burned 300 hectares of vegetation. Four municipalities were affected: Narbonne, Boutenac, Floure and Especially Bizanet, where the damage is the most important.
A man was arrested on Sunday. He was still in police custody this Monday morning. According to the prefecture, he is a merchant who, back from a market, did not realize that the brazier he transported was not extinguished. He sowed incandescent embers for several kilometers before being arrested. He was indicted for “involuntary destruction by wood and forest fire”.
Nine injured firefighters
Seven bungalows, one van, three electrical installations and two “unusual” accommodation of a campsite were destroyed. A house located near the outdoor accommodation was also affected by the flames. A total of 32 vacationers present in the campsite were evacuated and accommodated, especially in the distillery of the town. 37 visitors to the Fontfroide Abbey were also safe, as well as 60 inhabitants of a subdivision. They were able to return home this Monday morning.
The fire notably led to the closure of the A61 motorway between Lézignan and Narbonne. 651 firefighters and 35 gendarmes were mobilized, as well as four Canadians, four dash and the dragon 66. Nine firefighters were slightly injured (victims of hot strokes, smoke and for one of them of a fall).
