Fires in Gironde: the fire of La Teste-de-Buch "fixed", that of Landiras "contained"
This photo provided by Gironde firefighters (SDIS 33) shows a Canadair plane battling a forest fire near La Teste-de-Buch, in southwestern France, Saturday July 16, 2022. AP
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
After 11 days of exhausting fight against the flames, the fire which ravaged 7,000 hectares of forest in La Teste-de-Buch, near the Bassin d'Arcachon, is "now fixed", unlike the other great Girondin fire declared on July 12, near Landiras, which however is no longer progressing.
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“
All the inhabitants evacuated
” in a preventive manner from La Teste-de-Buch are now “
authorized to return to their homes, with the support of the national police
”, announced the prefecture in a press release after indicating that the fire was now fixed.
The other fire which broke out the same day in Gironde, in the Landiras sector, and which burned 13,800 hectares of forest, is not "
yet fixed
", "
due to the risk of recovery
", said the prefecture.
This fire is still considered “
contained
”.
21,000 hectares gone up in smoke
In total, these “megafires” have devoured nearly 21,000 hectares of forest in Gironde since July 12 and forced more than 36,000 inhabitants or holidaymakers to evacuate their accommodation, including 6,000 holidaymakers evacuated from campsites in the very touristy Dune du Pilat which were then destroyed by the flames.
"
About thirty homes remaining active, the surveillance of this massif, the treatment of the edges and the resumption of fire as well as the civil engineering work are continuing
", according to the press release.
"
The situation continues to improve
," said the prefecture.
► To read also: Fires in France: in Gironde, economic reconstruction already in everyone's mind
Two Canadairs and two forest fire attack helicopters remain mobilized while 1,300 firefighters were still hard at work on Friday at the two sites, even if now "
columns of extra-zonal firefighters are gradually returning to their department
" .
There is a lot of emotion.
I was happy for them.
In Gironde, residents are gradually returning to their homes
Stephane Duguet
According to firefighters, a fire is "fixed" when they think it will not grow any further.
It is then “controlled”, then “extinguished” and must then be “monitored”.
According to the prefect of Gironde Fabienne Buccio, who spoke on Friday evening, declaring these two fires “
extinguished, that will be another matter, it will take some time
”.
(
With
AFP)
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