China News Agency, Paris, July 21 (Reporter Li Yang) On the 21st local time, forest fires in southwestern France were gradually brought under control, and officials began to prepare for the restoration and reconstruction.
Officials in the Gironde province, where the forest fires in southwestern France are located, said on the same day that the fires have been gradually brought under control, mainly due to improved weather conditions, the temperature has dropped, and the air has become no longer dry.
However, Gironde Governor Buccio warned that the fight against the fire is not over, and although the situation has improved, people still need to be alert to the evolution of the fire.
About 2,000 firefighters and rescue workers are still working in the disaster area.
The forest fire in southwest France currently covers 20,800 hectares, and the total number of people evacuated has reached 36,750.
Gironde officials said that most of the evacuated people could not return to their homes yet, "the security conditions that allow them to return have not been met."
According to French BFM TV, if people return to their homes, they must also comply with some hygiene regulations, and at the same time make necessary preparations, such as the local water supply system has been cut off.
Buccio called on the public to be "a little more patient".
The video released on the 21st showed that a large area of forest was burned, and thick smoke could still be seen at the scene, but no open flames could be seen.
French President Emmanuel Macron went to the Gironde province on the 20th to check the disaster situation, condolences to firefighters and rescue workers, and asked about the resettlement of the evacuated people.
He promised a "national project" aimed at rebuilding fire-damaged forests, while saying more aerial resources were needed to deal with forest fires.
He also said that climate change was causing more fires and that France and the EU needed to deal with it.
Officials in Gironde have started preparations for the restoration and reconstruction work, the first of which will be an assessment of the disaster.
According to estimates by professionals quoted by the French news service, the cost of cleaning the site and replanting the vegetation is about 3,000 to 8,000 euros per hectare.
The Gironde forestry department said that reconstruction will not only require a lot of money, but also time, and it may take 30 to 40 years to restore the original landscape.
One of the main reasons why the forest fires lasted for nearly two weeks was the high temperature and dry weather caused by the heat wave.
The large-scale heat wave encountered in France is coming to an end, but it is not over yet. The heat wave is now affecting the southeastern region of France, and 13 southeastern provinces entered a high temperature orange alert on the 21st.
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