Christophe Castaner, the interior minister, is expected Saturday morning in the Gard, after the death of a pilot in the crash of a bomber who was trying to extinguish the fires that ravage the department since Tuesday. Five new fire starts led to the mobilization of 449 firefighters who worked all night near Générac.
Most firefighters are on site since Friday afternoon. Reinforcements arrived from Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme and Occitanie. They evolve on 319 hectares which burned. If the fire is fixed, it is still not controlled, which means that if the firefighters have managed to encircle it, there are still glowing points.
The mistral could aggravate the situation
But firefighters now fear that the threat will move throughout the day on Saturday, under the effect of the mistral, which should further complicate their work. The COO has asked for help from canadairs to help them. In the evening of Friday about twenty homes had to be evacuated, but only one house was destroyed. His occupant could be relocated by his family.
Lights on voluntarily
The criminal origin of these fires is privileged. Two people suspected of being behind the fire on Tuesday were arrested. Judicial information for "destruction, degradation and deterioration of nature, endangering others" should soon be entrusted to a judge. These facts are punishable by the Assize Court and a maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment.
Concerning the death of the pilot of the bomber, the discretion remains of putting at the firefighters. This is an extremely rare accident; an investigation was opened to understand what happened. In a tweet, Emmanuel Macron saluted the memory of the pilot, a "French hero" who "gave his life to save the lives of others".