Bouches-du-Rhône: “virulent” fire south of Avignon, 260 hectares covered

Europe 1 with AFP 8 p.m., July 14, 2022

A "virulent" fire releasing a large plume of smoke was underway on Thursday south of Avignon, towards Tarascon: at the start of the evening, it had already covered around 260 hectares, mobilizing 280 firefighters, the emergency services announced.

The fire started around 4 p.m. from the regional railway line linking Tarascon to Graveson, in the Bouches-du-Rhône.

Thanks to a wind present in the north of the department and scorching temperatures, the fire "jumped" on the Montagnette massif, a small limestone massif covered two-thirds with Aleppo pines located south of Avignon.

280 firefighters mobilized

The firefighters on the ground were assisted by two water-bombing helicopters and three Dash planes.

Around 7 p.m., the fire was not fixed but the firefighters had succeeded in protecting the buildings and "worked tirelessly" to protect the abbey of Frigolet.

The circulation of TER trains was interrupted between Avignon and Tarascon or Nîmes.

The fire would have already covered 260 hectares, but the very dense plume of smoke prevented a more precise assessment.

The smoke and ashes thus reached Avignon, where the theater festival is in full swing.

Last week, 650 hectares of forest had burned in neighboring Gard, and since Tuesday relief workers have been fighting two very large forest fires in Gironde, with already 4,700 hectares devastated.