Southwest of France: Fires ravage over 6,600 acres, blaze still not under control (2024)

Just one week after a round of devastating forest fires in the Gard (southern France), another fire front has opened in the Gironde (southwest). In 24 hours, the flames have destroyed 1,200 hectares (2,965 acres) of pine forest in La Teste-de-Buch, in the district of Arcachon, and 1,500 hectares (3,706 acres) in Landiras, south of Bordeaux, in the area of Langon.

The first fire, declared yesterday at 3:15 p.m., supposedly began with a vehicle fire, according to the Service Départemental d’Incendie et de Secours (SDIS, or departmental fire and rescue service) of Gironde.

This information has not yet been confirmed, as "the investigation is under way," said Vincent Ferrier, the sub-prefect of Langon, cautiously. "The disaster is still not under control, and the situation is not in our favor, with an extremely virulent head fire, and factoring in that the winds keep changing and moving," explained the lieutenant-colonel of the fire department, Olivier Chavatte, in mid-afternoon.

In Landiras, where a smaller fire had already ravaged 6 hectares on July 7, a new blaze started in the same place – this time on July 12 in the afternoon. "The difficulty we have is that the fire can come out from under the peat at any moment," said Mr. Ferrier.

With reinforcements from other departments expected to arrive by this evening, a total of 900 firefighters are preparing to fight two major challenges: the highly unfavorable weather conditions – with swirling winds, high temperatures and very dry and sandy ground – but also the simultaneous nature of the fires. The fires in La Teste-de-Buch and Landiras, even though they are not connected, are in close proximity, posing an additional challenge.

Five campsites and a village evacuated

Four Canadairs (military aircraft) have been dispatched to the area, as well as two Dash planes. "We've received fire trucks from Occitania, Limousin, the Loire Valley..." said Mr. Ferrier.

So far, no injuries have been reported on the civilian side. Some firefighters have been struck with a "hot flash," but were not seriously affected, according to Commander Matthieu Jomain, head of communication of SDIS Gironde. Those firefighters were attended to "before going back to the front."

On July 12, Météo-France placed Gironde under an orange alert for heatwaves, and the prefect, Fabienne Buccio, placed the department under orange alert regarding the risk of forest fires as of the following day, July 13.

Access to the Dune du Pilat has been closed to the public, three roads have been closed to traffic, and several evacuations took place last night, including of five campsites located near the dune as a precautionary measure. In total, 6,000 holiday-makers have been moved to the fairgrounds in La Teste. According to Lt. Col. Chavatte: "No one will be able to return to the campsites by this evening, or even tomorrow. As far as additional evacuations are concerned, it's a bit early to decide."

You have 39.55% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.