The fire which spread mainly in the municipalities of Nonac, Courgeac and Saint-Martial, located about thirty kilometers south of Angoulême, mobilized four Canadair, three Dash and two helicopters, dropping water up to at nightfall, according to a press release from the prefecture.
Friday evening, nearly 580 firefighters were still deployed to "limit the head of fire" from the main focus in Courgeac, while the Nonac fire "would be under control", added the prefecture.
According to the regional newspaper
Charente Libre
, the area burned by all of these hearths constitutes "the biggest fire that the Charente has ever known in its history".
In the early evening, flames of several meters ravaged these forests composed mainly of pines and oaks, and the swirling wind complicated the task of firefighters, noted an AFP correspondent on the spot.
The authorities identified during the afternoon a total of 16 fire starts in five neighboring towns along the D24 road.
Nearly forty people were evacuated from the area and the village of Courgeac was “confined following the heavy smoke emanating from these fires.
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Miscellaneous facts
Angouleme
Fire
Firefighters
Forest fires