A forest fire destroyed more than 150 hectares of pine trees in the south of the Gironde in the early evening on Monday, mobilizing four water bombers and more than 160 firefighters, AFP learned from the emergency services. One of the fire engines burned down but the occupants were unharmed, according to the same source. According to the prefecture, five hamlets, totaling about thirty people, located in the vicinity of the disaster area, were being evacuated "as a preventive measure" because of the smoke.
A "complex" fire
The fire of undetermined origin, the largest of the year to date in Gironde, began around 2 p.m. in a remote forest area near the town of Tuzan, about 60 km south of Bordeaux, told AFP Captain Mathieu Jaumain, of the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service (SDIS) of Gironde. The fire is "complex", due in particular to the wind, a sandy terrain difficult to access, and plots of pines of different ages, including young with low branches conducive to propagation, said the officer.
Four devices, two water bombers and two Canadair, were engaged at the end of the day and more than 80 devices. Evacuations of some neighborhoods in the towns of Tuzan, a town of around 300 inhabitants, and of Saint-Symphorien (some 1,800) were being studied at the end of the day, while a nearby photovoltaic farm was also threatened.
A hot and dry start to summer
The Gironde, which is home to a large part of the Landes de Gascogne forest, is the leading French department in terms of number of fire starts with several hundred each year (more than 500 in 2019), but on relatively moderate surfaces (less than 420 hectares destroyed in total last year).
The Gironde had a dry and hot start to summer, with several days at more than 30 degrees, and a new episode of strong heat is expected for the second part of the week, despite a possible rainy disturbance scheduled for Tuesday.