Bouches-du-Rhône: a major fire in progress south of Avignon, more than 1000 hectares covered
A “virulent” fire broke out around 5 p.m. this Thursday, July 14, near Avignon. At 9:30 p.m., he had already covered nearly 1,000 hectares, mobilizing more than 1,000 firefighters, according to the situation report of the Bouches-du-Rhône prefecture.
The fire started around 5 p.m. after a train passed over the tracks, generating sparks and igniting dry vegetation. The fire, made up of three separate outbreaks, impacts the municipalities of
Barbentane, Graveson, Tarascon as well as Boulbon, located 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.
Around 8:00 p.m. the fire was still not fixed and was progressing in the heart of the Montagnette massif. So far, no homes have been affected and the firefighters, who “worked tirelessly” to protect the abbey of Frigolet, there were no injuries, they told AFP. The Vaucluse firefighters have announced that the town halls supported by the fire are mobilizing to welcome the population.