Nearly 800 firefighters and 9 bomber planes have been mobilized since Saturday in the Aude in order to come to the end of the biggest fire of the summer, which caused some 850 hectares to go up in smoke.

Guest from Europe Midi, Monday, the firefighter Eric Brocardi said he hoped that the fire would be quickly extinguished in full.

INTERVIEW

A fire in the Aude burned more than 850 hectares this weekend, making it the biggest of the summer.

The fire indeed broke out on Saturday around 11 am on the central median of the A61 between the towns of Moux and Foncouverte.

This Monday, the fire was brought under control by the firefighters, who however maintained an important monitoring system.

Éric Brocardi, spokesperson for the National Federation of Firefighters of France (FNSPF), was the guest of Europe Midi.

He returned to the crucial role of his peers in the aftermath of events. 

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"The fire is fixed and will not go beyond its perimeter for the moment we hope. It is extremely important to continue this active surveillance to make it possible to avoid any resumption of the fire. Therefore, the firefighters are currently fighting for check all the tree stumps which are being charred and which may at any time allow the fire to restart, "he explained, adding that it was necessary to remain vigilant.

"Thousands of hectares saved"

Eric Brocardi also paid tribute to the work of firefighters on the ground for more than 48 hours. "We are talking about the 850 hectares burned, but the firefighters as well as all the other forces which contribute to the protection of the environment saved thousands of others. And today, a meticulous work begins and will allow to go towards a completely extinguished fire, ”he continued.

As for the origin of the fire, which according to the first elements would be linked to a cigarette butt, the spokesperson for the firefighters said to let the gendarmerie services take care of the investigation, but qualified this gesture of "stupid". "If there is a fire starting at the edge of the highway it is because there is indeed an act of negligence on the part of the users who inadvertently throw cigarette butts. It does not seem like much, but the calls the air of passing cars does indeed cause a conflagration, ”recalled the firefighter.