More than 250 firefighters and eight Canadair planes fought since Tuesday afternoon against two fires which were declared almost simultaneously in Lablachère, in the south of the Ardèche, fanned by a violent wind, indicated the firemen and the prefecture.
65 hectares destroyed around 18 hours
A campsite was evacuated as a precaution and about fifty holidaymakers were grouped together in the town hall. Both fires started around 3 pm and spread rapidly in a coniferous forest. The flames had already destroyed 65 hectares of vegetation around 18 hours, said the prefecture of Ardeche, which recommends avoiding the area.
Twelve intervention groups "forest fires", or 260 firefighters, are mobilized on the ground, with reinforcements from the Drôme, Vaucluse and Gard. Eight Canadairs and a Dash water bomber also participate in the intervention. Twenty gendarmes also secure the area, detailed the prefecture in a statement.