100 firefighters deployed to battle 6-hectare fire near Gignac

Firefighters battled a brush fire that burned about 6 hectares near Gignac in southern France on Sunday evening, prompting the deployment of 100 firefighters and aerial firefighting resources.

The fire broke out at about 8 p.m. near the Chemin de Pelican, according to the Herault Departmental Fire and Rescue Service, known as SDIS 34. Fire crews worked through the evening to contain the blaze and prevent further spread.

Departmental aerial resources were also deployed to support firefighters on the ground, according to the service.

About 6 hectares of vegetation were burned in the fire, which occurred in the Herault department in the Occitanie region.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately known, the fire and rescue service said Monday morning.

Gignac, a commune west of Montpellier, is in an area of southern France that faces a recurring risk of vegetation and forest fires, particularly during the summer.

The fire came amid a period of heightened wildfire activity across southern France. In July, a much larger blaze in the Herault department burned about 100 hectares and required the deployment of 250 firefighters and aerial resources.