Chloé Lagadou 8:09 p.m., August 13, 2022
On the fire front in Gironde, (very) good news is expected this Saturday: there will be a storm.
But it's a double or nothing bet for firefighters.
If the rain can obviously facilitate the work of the firefighters, this is not the case with strong gusts of wind and lightning which would stir up new outbreaks.
The situation is particularly delicate in Landiras in Gironde where 7,400 hectares have burned in two days, but the fire is no longer progressing.
However, the weather forecast worries the authorities.
Thunderstorms are expected in the early evening, around 9 p.m.
Here in Hostens, we can already feel the wind starting to pick up.
For their part, the firefighters obviously hoped for a return of the rain.
But the problem is that tonight, dry thunderstorms are announced.
The rain will be there, but because of the high temperatures, it won't have time to reach the ground.
Gusts of wind at 50 km / h announced
This is the scenario that firefighters particularly feared today.
Really unfavorable conditions for the rescue, explains Marc Vermeulen, fire chief of Gironde.
"In fact, it's the lightning that will fall in the massif and which in fact will come to heat the peat and therefore create a hot spot which, depending on the state of the peat and the wind, will either hatch immediately or will incubate for 12 to 24 hours”, he deciphers.
“There are also, because that was not enough, gusty winds which are announced, gusts of the order of 50 km / h.
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1,000 firefighters mobilized
So this Saturday evening, 1,000 firefighters, both French and European, will be on the ground.
The objective is clear: anticipate potential outbreaks of fire and of course put them out as quickly as possible.