The fire in the Alpilles massif is no longer evolving, but is not yet fixed – Le Monde

The fire in the Alpilles massif (Bouches-du-Rhône) “is no longer evolving” but is not yet completely fixed, firefighters said on Tuesday August 23. The latter have, moreover, reassessed the area covered by the fire at 117 hectares of vegetation, against 136 hectares announced the previous evening. This night, “the objectives of drowning and securing the edges have been achieved”, they added in a situation update. 🔴 tracking [#Opérations]

🔥 The #fire is changing little. 136 hectares covered. Means on site tonight for #drowning… https://t.co/aFiSJWU1qW— Pompiers_13 (@Pompiers 13) On Tuesday, the massif will however remain closed in the face of the risk of forest fires (red vigilance), and 250 firefighters- firefighters will remain mobilized for “the securing of the edges and the treatment of hot spots” of this fire which did not threaten any dwelling. They will be supported by three aerial means to reach a steep relief. #Forestfires | This Tuesday, August 23 ⤵️ 🔴4⃣ massifs: Montagnette, Rougadou, Alpilles, Chambremont are closed🚫 🟡Les 2⃣… https://t.co/4Znk51uFM8— Prefect13 (@Prefect of the PACA region and Bouches-du-Rhône) Au worst of the disaster, which began Monday afternoon, 600 firefighters had been deployed to quickly tackle the fire which broke out on the tip of the massif, at the level of the town of Aureille, for a reason unknown. In addition to the fires in Gironde, several fires also affected the south-east of France this summer, affected by a historic drought, with in particular 1,600 hectares going up in smoke south of Avignon in mid-July. At the end of June, 1,800 hectares of vegetation had also burned in the French army training camp in Canjuers (Var). Decryption: Fires: eight times more area burned than an ordinary year in France, four times more in Europe A “flash mission” to raise the needs of firefighters field in the areas affected by the fires this summer to bring up the needs of the firefighters and draw up emergency proposals relating to their funding. This “flash mission” will have to be carried out by “mid-September” with various departmental fire and rescue services (SDIS), these firefighter centers managed and partly financed by the departments. “The aim is in particular, based on exchanges with local elected officials and relief actors, to think about new avenues for financing the SDIS and to promote the recruitment of volunteer firefighters”, declared François Sauvadet, president of the Assembly of the departments of France in a press release. Read also: Fires: six maps and graphs that provide an initial assessment of an unprecedented summer The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, spoke on Sunday of a necessary increase in the real share of the special tax on insurance agreements (TSCA) donated to the SDIS by the departments, a recurring request from elected officials and firefighters. “Only 40 to 60% of the product of this tax actually goes to them today. I therefore put the question to the departmental elected officials, of which I am a part: perhaps a larger part of it should already be donated to the SDIS, ”argued the minister in an interview with the Sunday newspaper. The World with AFP