- The Anglet fire finally devastated 100 hectares of the Chiberta forest and 65 hectares of vegetation within the adjacent housing estates. If 24 homes were affected by the flames, there were no casualties.
- According to the first elements of the investigation, the origin of the fire is human. Whether it is criminal remains to be seen.
- The fire remains under surveillance while a new scorching episode is expected at the end of the week in France.
We must now heal the wounds. Four days after the terrible forest fire in the town of Anglet in the Basque Country in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, the inhabitants and other holidaymakers face a spectacle of desolation.
A blackboard, both literally and figuratively. The fire broke out late Thursday afternoon, fueled by the wind and fueled by drought and high temperatures (41.9 ° C in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, not far from Anglet).
What damage?
This fire destroyed 165 hectares of forests and vegetation: one hundred hectares burned in the Chiberta forest as well as 65 hectares of vegetation within the adjacent housing estates. The Chiberta forest, a 250 hectare island of greenery in the heart of the Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz agglomeration, is located between the Adour river and the Atlantic and bordered in particular by a prestigious golf course and luxurious villas. The flames notably reduced the Izadia ecological park to ashes.
"Thank God", said Eric Spitz, the prefect of the department, the human toll is "not heavy". About twenty people passed through the hospital but all came out without problem, including two firefighters and nine police officers. According to the municipality of Anglet, 24 homes were affected by the disaster, including five houses destroyed by the flames, while a hundred residents had to be urgently evacuated and spend the night from Thursday to Friday in a center accommodation.
Some residents, whose houses were spared, were able to return home quickly, according to the prefecture. Others have found a rehousing solution "thanks to numerous outbursts of solidarity," the city said.
What origin ?
The fire is "of human origin", according to the first findings of the investigation, said the Bayonne prosecutor's office. "There was no lightning or electric wire that would have caused a spark", declared Caroline Parizel, deputy prosecutor of Bayonne. “So it's a human action, which means that there was human intervention, but it could be a cigarette butt, or a shard of a bottle that would have had a magnifying effect. "
The investigation has already made it possible to determine a single fire starting zone, on the outskirts of the Orok Bat rugby stadium, in a sports complex backing onto the Chiberta forest. The investigation must now determine whether or not the fire is of criminal origin, with a deliberate ignition. "It is the most difficult according to the experts", because to determine the voluntary and therefore criminal origin, it is necessary "to find the trigger," said Caroline Parizel. An investigation for "destruction by fire" was opened Friday by the Bayonne prosecutor's office, who recalled that "even in the absence of intentional character", the destruction of forest can constitute an offense punishable by five to seven years of imprisonment .
What forecasts?
Since Saturday, the fire has been completely "under control" but remains under surveillance. Surveillance which should increase particularly at the end of the week. If until Thursday the French will be able to breathe a little with summer temperatures, a new scorching episode is expected this week. "Temperatures will rise" quickly from Thursday, reaching scorching values "from Friday (between 34 and 39 ° C from north to south for the maximum)", warns Météo-France.
# Heat wave in #France: the heat wave is confirmed from Thursday or Friday depending on the region. It could last nearly a week: between 34 and 39 ° C from north to south for the maximum. A very worrying situation is looming. pic.twitter.com/FXyKX5Y2BH
- The Weather Channel (@lachainemeteo) August 2, 2020The duration of this scorching episode remains unknown to this day. It could last a week! Many departments should once again switch to orange vigilance and heat records could once again fall. There is therefore great concern about the risk of fire. In the South-West, in addition to the Anglet fire, the flames also ravaged 250 hectares of forest last week in Gironde.
Miscellaneous
Pyrénées-Atlantiques: The Anglet fire is "of human origin"
Miscellaneous
Pyrénées-Atlantiques: The fire in the Chiberta forest in Anglet is "under control", 165 hectares destroyed
- Aquitaine
- Miscellaneous
- Bayonne
- Firefighters
- Forest
- Fire
- Fire
- Biarritz