The two gigantic fires that have been raging since July 12 in Gironde have burned more than 19,000 hectares of forest and their smoke and smells, driven by the wind, were felt overnight in Bordeaux and further north. The blaze was particularly active during the night in La Teste-de-Buch, near Arcachon, where nearly 2,000 additional hectares were destroyed by fire, for a total of 6,500 hectares for a week according to the prefecture.
The fire at La Teste-de-Buch, near Arcachon.
Between Guillos and Landiras, in the south of the department, 12,800 hectares were devoured by the flames.
The Guillos and Landiras fire, inland, south of Bordeaux.
A third fire in progress, which took Monday in Vensac in the Médoc, burned 70 hectares and forced 500 people to a preventive evacuation, according to the prefecture.
“There is no risk for the population”
In total, more than 37,000 people, residents or vacationers, had to leave their homes because of the fires in Gironde, which are “still not fixed”. In La Teste, an Ehpad was evacuated as a preventive measure during the night. About 2,000 firefighters, with reinforcements from all over France, are mobilized.
“There is no risk for the population”, explained the departmental fire and rescue service of Gironde, which assured to have received thousands of calls in the night. The Department asked not to call for help: “If you are worried about breathing in the particles, put on a mask that you used to protect yourself from Covid. We have to wait for the wind to drop”.
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Smoke and smells were perceived as far as Charente and Deux-Sèvres, according to the authorities.