A fierce bushfire broke out on Sunday 2 August at around 4 pm south-east of Carcassonne, following a vehicle fire on the A61 motorway. The flames, fanned by the wind, quickly spread to the surrounding vegetation, threatening a residential neighbourhood and a military base.
Faced with this emergency, the Aude fire service (SDIS 11) deployed an exceptional operation to contain the flames. At the height of the operation, 300 firefighters, 60 vehicles and 12 aerial assets – including 2 Dash aircraft, 3 Canadair aircraft, 4 Air Tractor aircraft and 2 water-bombing helicopters – were mobilised. Their priority was to protect homes and critical infrastructure, whilst battling a fire described as “particularly complex” due to difficult access and sensitive areas requiring protection.
Around a hundred precautionary evacuations
To avoid any risk, around a hundred people have been evacuated as a precautionary measure from the areas at risk, particularly near the Australian Park and the towns of Cazilhac and Palaja. Firefighters managed to bring the situation under control by the end of the day; the fire had spread across 100 hectares, 50 of which were completely burnt.
Although SDIS 11 deemed the situation to be ‘favourable’ this evening, a significant monitoring operation remains in place for the night. The teams are concerned that the fire could flare up again, fuelled by the windy conditions. Air and ground resources are on standby to respond rapidly should the need arise. Evacuations are no longer on the agenda.
The cause of the fire, which was triggered by a vehicle catching fire on the A61 motorway. Please report any outbreak of fire via the dedicated platform and to consult the map of current fires to monitor the progress of claims.