Four separate forest fires ignited in the Alpes-Maritimes on Tuesday, another began overnight and one is still causing problems in the Bairols area. Here’s what you need to know.
The Sapeurs Pompiers 06 were called out to four fires across the region on Tuesday 25th July as high winds swept through the Alpes-Maritimes.
The two smaller fires in Gréolières and Moulinet appear to have been brought under control fairly quickly, however a site in Cagnes sur Mer caused considerable problems for the firefighting service given the densely populated zone.
The fire swept through 10 hectares of land near the Moulins du Loup in Cagnes sur Mer during the afternoon and, intensely aware of the urban context of the site, a large deployment of some 100 firefighters was sent to tackle the blaze. Access to the north side of the A8 motorway was temporarily halted and train services were similarly affected. Thankfully, no homes were threatened by the fire, which is now under control.
The, overnight, a fire started in the Chemin du Faliconnet area of Falicon to the north of Nice. Around 120 firefighters were drafted in to halt the fire, which threatened several homes, and 50 or so personnel were reportedly still on site in the early hours of Wednesday 26th July. The fire appears to have been successfully brought under control by mid-morning.
However, up in the Bairols commune to the northwest of Nice, an estimated 30 hectares of land has been burned. The complexity of access to this remote and mountainous site meant that firefighters had to be dropped by helicopter near the flames and then proceed on foot on Tuesday 25th July, but as high winds continued into the afternoon, aerial support was also drafted in to drop water on the fire. Around 50 personnel are believed to still be in the area, tackling the remains of the fire.
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Photo source: Département des Alpes-Maritimes