A violent fire broke out yesterday in Chanousse, situated in the Hautes-Alpes. To date, it has already destroyed around 100 hectares, and the situation remains a cause for concern as a further 100 hectares are under direct threat from the advancing fire.
The fire, which broke out at around 5.30 pm, is located in the Chabanas area, at an altitude of 1,000 metres. Firefighters at the scene describe the fire as ‘spreading unchecked’, which is making their efforts considerably more difficult.
🔥 In the Hautes-Alpes, the Chanousse fire is still burning. Aerial operations have been suspended for the night. 100 hectares have already been burnt. (© Patrick C.) pic.twitter.com/er5dszmUdU
— Météo Express (@MeteoExpress) 20 August 2023
At present, an impressive contingent of 250 firefighters is battling the blaze. To support these efforts, reinforcements have been called in from the surrounding regions: Drôme, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône and Vaucluse. In addition, Canadair aircraft will be deployed later today to support the fire-fighting operations.
However, it is a tough task for our firefighters. Access to the site is a major challenge, and aerial operations had to be suspended overnight, as reported by the Météo Express account on X (formerly Twitter).
The good news, for the time being, is that despite the scale of this fire, no homes have been affected and there have been no casualties.
Fire in Chanousse: around 100 hectares gone up in smoke, 120 firefighters deployedhttps://t.co/8SuhEivkm4 pic.twitter.com/ryyasG0XFU
— BFMTV (@BFMTV) 20 August 2023