There are twelve firefighters, from mid-morning, handling gasoline jerrycans, rakes or water sprayers to carefully guide the flames into the undergrowth of a forest in Bages (Aude), near Narbonne.
The objective of this burning site, carried out in mid-January by the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service (SDIS) of Aude, is to clear 3 hectares of forest of excess brush and bushes before the return of the strong summer heat, in this area affected for several years by a prolonged drought.
“The main issue is the fight against forest fires, therefore destocking fuel during the winter so that it is not used to fuel summer fires,” Jean-Paul Baylac explains to AFP , head of the forest fire service at SDIS.
On clearer ground, the fire will lose intensity and spread less quickly, which should help avoid “jeopardizing the survival of the trees”, he adds.
– Objective 500 hectares –
The Aude firefighters will carry out burning sites of this type throughout the winter, with the aim of preparing 500 hectares for the summer. An ambitious objective, specifies Jean-Paul Baylac, according to whom the annual results are generally between 300 and 400 ha.
Setting fires to avoid fires may seem contradictory, but it is an essential part of the fire fighters' fire-fighting arsenal, especially in areas where, like in Aude, the vines are gradually disappearing in the face of recurring drought. .
The eastern part of this department in the south of France, like the neighboring department to the south of the Pyrénées-Orientales, has in fact been experiencing a prolonged drought since 2022 which has damaged the wine sector.
-If the burning site today takes place in an undergrowth, others, just as important, therefore concern “former wine-growing areas little by little taken over by the wasteland and on which we wish to maintain the possibility of fighting” against the fires of the summer season, explains Mr. Baylac.
– 100 times less strong than in summer –
Carrying out these burning sites in winter has several advantages: the temperatures, obviously lower than the rest of the year, but also the higher atmospheric humidity. The flames are thus 100 times less powerful than those of summer fires, according to the SDIS manager.
This practice is, however, not without risks, underlines Jean-Paul Baylac. We must therefore “use the wind and the slope to slow down the progression of the fire and limit its power”, in order to avoid burning areas that should not be burned, or “damaging the trees that we want to protect,” he said.
It therefore happens that a project is canceled at the last moment, especially if wind gusts exceed 50 km/h.
That of Bages was fortunately able to be maintained. And the firefighters were joined by a few volunteers from municipal forest fire committees in the surrounding municipalities, who patrol in the summer to protect their territory.
Because, explains Mr. Baylac, these projects also make it possible to train and “harden” these volunteers in situations that are certainly real, but “on a small scale and low intensity”.
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