6,800 hectares burned, Elisabeth Borne and Gérald Darmanin expected on site at the end of the morning
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the gigantic fire in Landiras (Gironde) which broke out in Julyand that “resumed at the level of the municipality of Saint-Magne” Tuesday afternoon, continued its progression on Wednesday and “extended to the Landes department”. Thursday August 11 in the morningthe Gironde prefecture announced that it had already burned 6,800 hectares in the Hostens sector.
Anxious to demonstrate the government’s mobilization and in order to “welcome the commitment” of all the forces mobilized, the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, and the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, must go to Hostens at the end of the morning.
“Nearly 1,100 firefighters are engaged” on the ground, indicated the prefecture, specifying that “additional reinforcements” were still expected. Canadair, Dash and water bomber helicopters are deployed while soldiers are also on the ground to help fight the fire and secure the area.
According to the prefecture of the department, “the conditions are particularly difficult” due to the scorching temperatures, which “should continue until Saturday and combine with very dry air”which creates a “very serious risk of outbreak of fire”.
“Strong suspicions” that the resumption of fire is “the act of arsonists”
Wednesday evening, the fire “very vigorous”in the words of delegate prefect for defense and security in Gironde, Martin Guespereau, was “always on the rise”south and east of Landiras, having ravaged 6,200 hectares. “The fight is extremely fiery (…). What about for the night? The fire has accustomed us to surprise each other”, then declared Mr. Guespereau. He added that ” weather [était] extremely unfavorable”explaining that “the July fire never stopped” and “buried himself in the peat”.
“The fire has spread in all directions and, with the rise in temperatures, we have a fire that has exploded in some places”especially to the north towards Belin-Béliet, which is ” threatens “explained the departmental director of the firefighters of the Gironde, Marc Vermeulen. ‘No casualties’ is for the moment to be deplored among the inhabitants, but the “all-out fight” against the flames caused two minor injuries and “a more serious injury” among firefighters, according to the delegate prefect. Since Tuesday, seventeen homes and two fire trucks have been destroyed by the flames.
Nearly 10,000 people were evacuated between Tuesday and Wednesday evening. While the front of the fire headed towards the motorway axis on Wednesday morning, the A63 motorway was closed The evening back and forth, was it noted on the highway’s Twitter accountwhich releases regular updates. “This closure is necessary because the fumes are pushed towards the A63 and pose visibility problems”had declared the sub-prefect earlier.
According to Mr. Darmanin, on the move on Wednesday in Aveyron, the scene of a another large fire,, there is “great suspicions” that the resumption of fire in Landiras be “the act of arsonists” judging the “a few hundred meters apart” outbreaks of fire observed in the morning, a phenomenon ” unusual “.
The Minister had announced, before his trip, the reinforcement of the means of fight with “more than a thousand firefighters, nine planes and two water bomber helicopters” engaged against the flames. From Aveyron, he said he had “appeals to our European friends”, Sweden and Italy lending planes. According to Mr. Darmanin, “everything shows us that we will still have many difficulties in the weeks to come”.
Use of “tactical fires” to stop the advance of fire
“The situation is very unfavorable. We are keeping all assets available on the ground for the entire night, with many hot spot defenses to come.”already underlined on Tuesday Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Mendousse, communication officer at the departmental fire and rescue service (SDIS) of the Gironde.
In particular, firefighters use “tactical lights” to create buffer zones and stop the advance of the fire. During operations, “a truck and three light vehicles were destroyed but no firefighters were injured”said the lieutenant-colonel.
These resumptions of fire in Saint-Magne and Hostens noted around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, “due to unfavorable weather conditions”according to the Gironde prefecture, are located about twenty kilometers from Landiras, the epicenter of the gigantic fire which engulfed nearly 14,000 hectares of forest in July and which is still not “under control” nowadays.
“These are hot spots that reactivated in the early afternoon [mardi]during the hottest hours of the day”explained Tuesday in the afternoon the SDIS of Gironde, describing a “fairly fast fire” fanned by hot winds.
In Gironde, in Cabanac, north of Landiras, another resumption of fire also took place on Tuesday at 3 p.m. Supported by eighty firefighters and aerial means, it destroyed 20 hectares of forest but this fire “do not progress[ait] more “ Tuesday evening, according to the SDIS. The situation is also “favorable” and the fire ” fixed “ in Sainte-Hélène in the Médoc, where 15 hectares of forest went up in smoke Tuesday afternoon around 3:45 p.m., mobilizing a hundred firefighters and air resources.
With the return of high heat this week in Gironde, placed in heat wave orange vigilance, the firefighters had to deal with this ” hard day “ Tuesday no less than “ten forest fires (…) with areas ranging from a few thousand square meters to several hectares”on the whole department, underlined the lieutenant-colonel Mendousse. “We called on all of our on-call and on-call staff and reserve personnel”, he added. The Gironde prefecture has activated a departmental operational center.
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