On Tuesday, more than three thousand people living in villages in southern France were evacuated, in addition to tourists, in the face of an expanding fire that swept at least 700 hectares of vegetation cover, but did not cause any injuries.
In southern France, a fire that broke out on Monday evening due to an agricultural machine in the town of Masgrou in the Lozere region has spread towards the village of Mostoyegol in the Aveyron region, an AFP correspondent said.
On Tuesday afternoon, the fire, which was ignited by wind and drought, did not develop. Firefighters set “tactical bonfires” to preemptively burn weeds to stop the fire from spreading.
The authorities ordered the evacuation of the village of Mostoyegol. People who were removed from the site of the fire were precautionary evacuated to event halls and schools in nearby villages.
The fire started when a piece of metal from an agricultural machine came into contact with superheated tar on the road, causing sparks. A section of a road caught fire, according to firefighters.
The farmer, who was driving the tractor himself, called the rescue teams, before he started using water from his tank to try to put out the fire.
He also contacted a number of farmers who came to help him.
The sea-bomber planes, which were mobilized Monday, resumed their shifts at around 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT), witnesses said.
The local administration stated that more than 600 firefighting personnel from several regions were deployed at the site.
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