The burning turned to tragedy on Monday for a resident of the small village of Esconnets in the Hautes-Pyrénées. According The New Republic of the Pyrenees, this 89-year-old man, a gardening enthusiast, was first seen in the afternoon by his neighbors lighting a fire in his field. Then witnesses saw him running with a watering can as the flames grew stronger, fanned by a light wind. When the firefighters arrived, they found the octogenarian lifeless, perhaps the victim of discomfort after asphyxiation by the fumes, perhaps caught up in the flames.
One hectare burned before firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control.
In the Hautes-Pyrénées, due to the drought, a prefectural decree prohibits lighting fires, including wild barbecues.