Aude: the fire in Puilaurens is still not fixed after covering 225 hectares

The fire which broke out on Friday in Puilaurens, in Aude, is “still not fixed” and has covered 225 hectares, firefighters said on Saturday morning, who consider the situation “unfavourable”.

“The day will be extremely sensitive given the temperatures and the forecast wind,” warned a spokesperson for the Mediterranean department’s emergency services, Sdis 11. The relief of the area, “particularly steep,” makes operations “very difficult,” she noted.

The town, located about fifty kilometers south of Carcassonne, includes on its territory the Puilaurens castle, one of the seven royal fortresses of Languedoc classified as a UNESCO world heritage site at the end of July, which was evacuated as a precaution on Friday evening, as well as around thirty residents.

330 firefighters mobilized

The rapid deployment of significant human and aerial resources, shortly after the flames appeared around 4 p.m. on Friday, "made it possible to preserve several hundred hectares", estimated the spokesperson for Sdis 11. Some 330 firefighters and around a hundred engines remain mobilized, while "an aerial investigation is underway to determine the next steps to take", she said. Two firefighters were “slightly injured” on Friday, according to the prefecture.

The Sdis 66 firefighters have notably deployed an important preventive measure in the Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes sector, they indicate on their Facebook page.