Fires in France, burning through 1,800 hectares of forest

The flames continue to wreak havoc in Gironde, where a new fire has already covered 1,800 hectares since Monday and caused the evacuation of several hundred people.

The disaster is still ongoing, in the town of Saumos, a village located southeast of the seaside resort of Lacanau, between the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean and the Bordeaux conurbation, which broke records for September on Monday.

The new assessment communicated by the authorities at midday does not correspond to a progression of the fire since the night, but to a more precise estimate of the surface covered by the flames.

Four houses burned, along with a few barns and vehicles. To protect the population, around 540 people have been evacuated since Monday evening, in the town centre of Saumos and the hamlets of the neighbouring town of Sainte-Hélène.

“Residents cannot return to their homes for the moment”said the sub-prefect of Lesparre-Médoc, Fabrice Thibier, during a press briefing.

“all air resources have been directed” towards a new start of fire in Vendays-Montalivet, a seaside resort 50 kilometers north of Saumos, where 75 hectares of forest had already burned the previous week, firefighters said.

Reinforcements from neighboring departments and other regions brought the number of firefighters mobilized to nearly 700, supported by 200 vehicles and air resources: three Canadair, two Dash, a heavy water bomber helicopter and a light one.