Europe 1 with AFP 10:07 a.m., August 10, 2022

Since Monday, the fire in Maine-et-Loire has burned more than 1,200 hectares of forest.

Despite the presence of 400 firefighters, the fire located between Angers and Le Mans, in the Sarthe, is struggling to be controlled, said Wednesday morning the Codis of the department.

With high temperatures during the day and a strengthening of the wind, the situation is worrying.

The fire, which has ravaged the Maine-et-Loire forest since Monday, has burned more than 1,200 hectares, requiring the presence of nearly 400 firefighters, the department's Codis said on Wednesday morning.

The fire, located in an area between Angers and Le Mans, in Sarthe, "has taken on a significant scale, we are at 1,240 hectares of burns. We are still not masters of the fire", declared to AFP the Codis of the department, while it will be "very hot" during the day and that a "strengthening of the wind" is feared.

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70 people evacuated

The fire started on Monday "in the sector of the municipality of Baugé-en-Anjou, a somewhat special sector, because it is an exclusion zone: which means that neither the population nor the relief can enter, because there is storage of ammunition from the Second World War", specified the Codis.  

Now, exactly 377 firefighters, including 200 from other departments, are on site to fight the flames.

"We are proceeding to the protection of 22 sensitive points, including an accommodation center for disabled people".

About 70 people were evacuated, according to the same source.

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“Improbable” fire swings

"For the moment, all the actions of the firefighters have been effective in terms of protecting sensitive points since we have no sensitive points that have been impacted by the incident. On the other hand, we have not still managed to take control of this disaster", explained the firefighters. 

The fire ravaging the forest of Pugle, a forest massif, has many herbaceous plants including ferns which help to spread the fire.

“We have improbable fire swings: we very strongly suspect intentional fire ignitions,” said Codis.

In addition, still in the same department, a fire in the Beaulieu-sur-Layon sector ravaged 80 hectares.

"This fire is fixed and we are masters of the fire", explained the Codis.

"We defended three sensitive points, including an equestrian center and a castle".