Within a few hours, firefighters in several regions of southern France had to respond to dozens of fires. The situation is worsening especially in the Mediterranean areas, where heat, drought and strong winds create a dangerous mix. Particularly worrying: some fire fronts are moving at almost the pace of a walking person.
“It is moving very fast, almost 4 km/h – about as fast as someone walking briskly,” emergency responders describe the situation on the ground. What initially sounds like an abstract figure makes clear the enormous challenge facing the fire service. When flames tear through dry scrubland or forests at this speed, there is hardly any time left for countermeasures.
The cause lies in a combination of several unfavorable factors. For weeks, many areas have been suffering from extreme drought. Grass, shrubs and forests resemble tinder in many places. At the same time, temperatures are rising well above 30 degrees. When strong winds are added, a small fire can quickly turn into a difficult-to-control fire front.
So-called “flying sparks” are particularly feared. The wind often carries glowing particles and sparks over long distances. This can cause new fires to start hundreds of meters ahead of the actual fire line. For emergency responders, it is like facing an opponent that constantly changes position. As soon as one section appears to be under control, new flames flare up elsewhere.
This development makes the work of the fire brigade considerably more difficult. It is no longer enough simply to fight the existing fires. Commanders must constantly think ahead and calculate where the fires may spread next. Houses, roads, power lines and, not least, their own teams must be protected in time.
Anyone who has ever experienced how quickly a vegetation fire can spread will hardly forget that sight. A small plume of smoke on the horizon can sometimes turn into a fire front several kilometers long within just a few minutes. It is precisely this dynamic that is currently causing great concern among the authorities.
The current situation reminds many experts of particularly severe fire years in recent decades. The combination of persistent heat, dried-out vegetation and powerful gusts of wind means that even the smallest sparks are enough to cause new fires.
For southern France, the sensitive fire season has therefore only just begun. The coming weeks will have to show whether emergency services can stabilize the situation – or whether nature sets the pace.
By Andreas M. Brucker