France: start of calm on the fire front, end of heat wave and rain in sight
Photo provided by Gironde firefighters SDIS 33, (Departmental Fire and Rescue Service 33) showing an aerial view of a blaze near Saint-Magne, south of Bordeaux, in southwestern France, Thursday, August 11, 2022. AP
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
It is still very hot on August 13 in part of France.
Sixteen departments from the south-west to Finistère remain on heatwave orange vigilance.
Thunderstorms and rain forecast for the evening could bring temperatures down and possibly help firefighters still battling the blazes in Gironde.
The mobilization is total, more than 1,300 French and European firefighters are on the front.
Polish firefighters must also arrive as reinforcements during the day.
Report at the command center in Hostines.
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With our special correspondent,
Grégory Genevrier
The situation changed overnight from Friday to Saturday as a new fire broke out in the town of Sore, about twenty kilometers from here.
More than 130 firefighters, a water bomber helicopter and two Dash were deployed on site to quickly limit its spread.
About fifty hectares have so far gone up in smoke, but the situation is favorable, according to the prefecture.
As a precaution, around forty homes were evacuated.
In the Landiras sector, the flames have not progressed for the second consecutive night, the fire has stabilized, it is a good sign even if we still cannot say that it is under control, insists the prefect.
► To read also:
In Gironde, firefighters supported by European reinforcements stop the progression of the fire
Waiting for the rain...
The action of the firefighters is concentrated around the many departures that must be extinguished, here at the command center the firefighters remain cautious but still seem more confident.
“
I dare to hope that we have done the hardest part
”, confided one of them just now.
The weather conditions should be milder this Saturday, the temperature is cooler, a maximum of 34º is expected here this Saturday afternoon.
In the sky the clouds are back, the air is more humid, and the good news is that it could rain tonight.
“
I don't think I've ever waited for the rain so much
,” a resident confided to us this morning with a smile.
Other good news, a large detachment of Polish firefighters is expected here in the afternoon, there will be a hundred of them with dozens of intervention vehicles.
Volunteers are busy preparing to welcome them here at the centre.
In total, more than 1,500 firefighters are currently mobilized.
On the side of the evacuees, this news gives hope, all hope to be able to quickly return to their homes.
Fire trucks from Romania being unloaded from a transport plane arriving at Mérignac airport near Bordeaux, in southwestern France, early on Friday August 12, 2022. Other countries Europeans have sent resources to help fight the forest fires in Gironde.
PA
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