Resumptions of fire near Landiras (Gironde), the scene of a gigantic fire in July, have ravaged 6,000 hectares of pine forests since Tuesday afternoon, leading to the evacuation of thousands of people.
Resumptions of fire near Landiras (Gironde), the scene of a gigantic fire in July, have ravaged 6,000 hectares of pine forests since Tuesday afternoon, leading to the evacuation of thousands of people. The “fire is very virulent and has spread to the Landes department. The municipalities of Hostens, Saint-Magne and sectors of Belin-Béliet have been evacuated”, or around 3,800 people, according to a press release from the prefecture of the Gironde. These municipalities are located in the heart of the Landes de Gascogne forest.
The fire also destroyed 16 houses in several areas of the town of Belin-Béliet where an evacuation operation of around 2,000 people was underway. “No injuries are to be deplored”, according to the prefecture. Some 500 firefighters, including firefighters from other departments, are on site, supported by civil security water bombers. In addition, the prefecture reports that “the front of the fire is heading towards the A63 (Highway direction Bayonne-Bordeaux). The “manager of the motorway does not notice any hindrance to visibility but immediately, a lowering the speed to 90 km / h and a reduction to two traffic lanes out of three in the Bayonne-Bordeaux direction have been decided “. Depending on the evolution of the fire, a cut of the motorway is envisaged, according to the same source.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin expressed Wednesday “great suspicions that the fire which resumed (in Gironde), is the act of arsonists”, during a trip to Aveyron. “This morning, there were eight fires, between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., which started a few hundred meters apart, which is quite unusual,” said the minister.
Landes affected
During the night, the neighboring Landes prefecture announced that the Girondin fire had “progressed unfavorably to reach the department (…) in the middle of the night”, leading to the evacuation of 215 people. The evacuees resided in hamlets around the towns of Mano and Moustey, in the north of the department. A welcome was organized at the village hall of the town hall of Moustey where 48 people met, the others leaving to stay with relatives.
“At this stage, no dwelling is affected by the flames”, underlines the prefecture of the Landes according to which two firefighters were injured, one lightly injured during an incident with a truck and one burned in the calves. The Gironde was struck in mid-July by two “non-standard” fires, one in Landiras, 40 km south of Bordeaux, the second in Teste-de-Buch in the Arcachon basin, which devoured 20,800 hectares of forest, leading to the evacuation of more than 36,000 people. The fire in the Arcachon basin, near the Dune du Pilat, was brought under control on July 29, but that of Landiras, still also closely watched by firefighters, had only been fixed on July 25.