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UPDATE ON THE SITUATION – Gales and lightning could restart the fire on Sunday, which had been stabilized, apprehend the firefighters.
Firefighters continued their fight against fires this Saturday, particularly in Gironde, Landes and Brittany, awaiting the arrival in the evening of thunderstorms and rain from the west, without knowing yet whether they will help or not. when the lights go out.
Strong winds, hypothetical or excessive rain: these are the scenarios feared by firefighters. The long-awaited coolness and humidity could become counterproductive, with the risk of flooding, according to civil security, and gales which “could start the fire“, according to Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Mendousse, spokesperson for the Gironde firefighters.
Storms: the prefect of Gironde says she fears fire starts
After a scorching Saturday, the weather finally deteriorates with the return of showers and thunderstorms, note The Weather Channel in its daily press release. If these storms put an end to the heat wave period, they are not necessarily a good omen in Gironde, says the prefect of the department Fabienne Buccio. “The storms which are announced for the Gironde are dry storms, that is to say without rain and with lightning which will fall to the ground“, she alerts during a situation update this Saturday, therefore fearing a possible new outbreak of fire.
Already, the firefighters, the gendarmes, are on alert throughout the department: “All the barracks are on alert and everyone is ready to intervene to put out a potential incipient fire“, she explained, specifying that the storm is expected at 9 p.m.
The fire in “pause” in Gironde and content in the Landes
A month after the two gigantic fires of Landiras and Teste-de-Buch in Gironde, the resumption of fire of “Landiras-2“, as firefighters call it, is “on break“, announced the prefecture and the department’s firefighters on Saturday morning. His progress isnow limitedafter ravaging 7400 hectares of pines. According to Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Mendousse of the Gironde departmental fire and rescue service, contacted by AFP, “the situation has changed to favorable“and the fire”is on hiatus“. “We remain very vigilant” because “if you no longer see large flames, the fire continues to consume the vegetation and the ground“, added the spokesman for the firefighters of Gironde. The meteorological service predicts thunderstorms, accompanied by gusts of wind up to 60 km / h on Saturday evening.
Since Friday evening, 1,600 people have been able to return to their homes in Moustey and Saugnac-et-Muret, and on this Saturday classified as “red” by Bison Futé, the authorities have reopened the A63, which connects Bordeaux to Spain, closed since Wednesday on a portion of 20 km. “Landiras 2“had caused the evacuation of 8,275 people, including several hundred residents of Ehpad or medico-social structures, reports South West.
But “the fire is still active on the west side“Warned the prefect of Gironde Fabienne Buccio, recalling that a thousand firefighters were still mobilized, supported by a contingent of European colleagues (Germans, Romanians, Poles and Austrians) and four foreign canadairs.
Fires in Aveyron: a new outbreak of fire in Mostuéjouls
A recovery “virulent“Fire Saturday in Mostuéjouls (Aveyron) burned dozens of additional hectares, according to the prefecture, which announced the preventive evacuation of at least 1,000 people. This fire, which since Monday has destroyed more than 800 hectares between Aveyron and Lozère, appeared on Saturday around noon “being circumscribed and soon to be extinct“, had then estimated the prefecture. “The fire evolves unfavorably“, she said on the other hand Saturday evening. “Several dozen additional hectares were burned” and “six hamlets were evacuated“, representing “nearly 1,000 additional people“, she said in a press release.
Since Monday, this fire, which did not cause any injuries, had already caused the evacuation of up to 3,000 people who had since been authorized to return to their homes or places of accommodation when it came to of vacationers. On Wednesday, a man residing in Lozère had been indicted for “unintentional destruction by fire“. He is believed to have accidentally started the fire, when a metal part of his trailer caused sparks as it scraped the ground, setting fire to the vegetation on the side of the road.
In addition, to avoid the risk of fire, the prefecture of Aveyron has in particular temporarily banned sporting events in natural spaces, pyrotechnic shows or “any hunting or destruction activity with firearms taking place in the wilderness“.
Firefighters from Europe and Polynesia in support
On the ground, a thousand firefighters are still mobilized, including many reinforcements from several European countries. 77 Austrian firefighters arrived on Friday evening and are expected to join the German and Romanian firefighters already deployed on the mission. The last group, 146 Polish firefighters, arrived in the afternoon, bringing the European aid contingent to 361 firefighters. To these reinforcements are added 2 Italian Canadair aircraft and 2 other Greeks which began their mission on Friday.
In Hostens, in Gironde, where the PC took on the air of a Spanish inn, the head of detachment Romanian Colonel Cristian Buhaiànu assured that his 77 firefighters – uniforms with red suspenders, caps and flocked trucks “pompierii” – were “ready to go to the field“, soon joined by 21 Polynesian fire soldiers. “They arrive from the other side of the world to come and support their comrades who are fighting the flames in Gironde: thank you to our firefighters in Polynesia for their solidarity. Mauruuru!(thank you in Tahitian), tweeted President Emmanuel Macron in the afternoon.
SEE ALSO – Fires in Gironde: “The fire is maintained“, assures the prefect
A record year in terms of hectares burned
In France, three times more hectares burned than the annual average for the past ten years, and the year has been a record in the European Union since records began in 2006. Even the Jura, with its normally more moderate climate, has been struck by two fires. In Brittany, a fire on Friday destroyed nearly 300 hectares in the Brocéliande forest west of Rennes. By late afternoon it wastwo-thirds contentaccording to the prefect of Morbihan, Pascal Bolot. In Ardèche, the fire, which ravaged at least 320 hectares, was “fixed“, announced Friday afternoon the department prefecture, adding that 150 to 200 firefighters remained mobilized.
In front of this situation “exceptional“, several large French companies – Carrefour, Orange, EDF, Axa, Auchan or GRDF have taken measures to facilitate the release of their volunteer firefighters, responding to the call of the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin. On Friday evening, the minister also asked the prefects to “be particularly vigilant“even to cancel the traditional fireworks of August 15 because of”increased risk of fires“.
The drought continues
The precipitation, expected from Saturday evening, will be insufficient to remedy the historic drought that the country is going through, warned Météo-France, after a month of July where less than one centimeter of rain fell on average. Storms “will fall on very dry soils, with fairly significant risks of runoff“which do not absorb water and increase the risk of flooding”and risk of hailstones“Warned Claire Chanal, forecaster, during a press briefing on Friday evening. Over a large part of France, it is forbidden to water and 73 prefects have even banned water withdrawals from farmers in all or part of their departments.
*The Weather Channel belongs to the Figaro group.
SEE ALSO – Fire in Gironde: a tornado of fire passes right next to the firefighters
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