1,600 hectares of vegetation went up in the night in Haute-Corse in 24 hours. This Monday morning, the fire was not under control but the threatened villages were no longer at risk
1,600 hectares of vegetation went up in the night in Haute-Corse in 24 hours. This Monday morning, the fire was not under control but the threatened villages were no longer at risk. In addition, the mayor of Bigorno, Christophe Graziani announced that he filed a complaint. This is one of the most devastating fires on the Island of Beauty that has just come out of a summer marked by intense fires.
After two fire starts in Upper Corsica, the mayor of Birgorno, a village threatened by the flames, announced on France Info , he was going to file a complaint on Monday to the gendarmerie. Christophe Graziani wants there to be “a general awareness” of the population and elected officials. “It’s time for it to end . ” Persuaded that “it is of criminal origin” , he also denounces a “omerta” . “This year we suffered fires of great violence and it continues today and this evening in Balagne,” continued the mayor.
Sunday, Haute-Corse experienced 27 fire starts. The prefecture, which prohibits each year the use of fire until October 1, had decided as a precaution to renew its ban on October 21 for agriculture and industry but also for private use (stove, barbecue …) . Sunday night, the order was extended until Tuesday, October 24 at midnight.
#PréventionIncendie⚠️Tout emploi du feu est interdit jusqu’au mardi 24 octobre #HauteCorse ➡️ https://t.co/TUiKIzWAdL pic.twitter.com/tzFtT337dh
— Préfet Haute-Corse (@Prefet2B) 23 October 2017
The flames, which started from Ville-di-Paraso on Sunday morning, were fanned by gales of strong winds until the middle of the night, and progressed rapidly, destroying about 1,600 hectares of vegetation, according to a report. refined balance Monday morning after flying over the area. Firefighters had initially estimated 2,000 hectares of destroyed areas.
“Throughout the night, the relief workers have dealt with punctual recoveries on the San Colombano pass, the Novella road and the Boca Croce locality , “ the Haute-Corse prefecture said in a statement.
10 km traveled in half a day
Low rainfall, the consequent drop in temperatures and especially the marked slowdown and the change in wind direction have helped the relief. By sunrise, the fire was no longer progressing, and villages threatened during the night were no longer.
“The fire has passed some villages, it has unfortunately destroyed much vegetation but fortunately there are no homes destroyed. For now, we have no casualties and no major damage, “ said Patrick Botey, commander of relief operations. Only a sheepfold and a house were damaged by the flames. Several firefighters and a senior were inconvenienced by the smoke.
“It’s a very difficult fire to master because he went very fast, he traveled 10 km in half a day, it’s still not bad! “ , Said the commander of relief operations.
4,730 hectares burned this summer in Corsica
On Monday morning, when the fire was no longer changing, 150 firefighters were still busy treating the edges of the fire. “There is little chance that there will be occasions, as long as we are very vigilant,” added Patrick Botey. A column of reinforcements from the firefighters of Bouches-du-Rhône was en route.
The summer of 2017, especially dry and hot, was marked by very strong fires in Corsica where 4,730 hectares were burned according to the prefecture, against 1,163 during the summer of 2016.
A very violent fire broke out on July 24 in Haute-Corse, threatening the urban areas of Biguglia. The fire was not controlled until three days later, after destroying about 2,200 hectares.
In addition, more than 250 hectares of vegetation have burned since Sunday in the municipality of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, in the Alpes de Haute-Provence .
