The flames never stop ravaging the Gironde this summer. A major forest fire broke out on Monday, September 12 in the town of Saumos, in the Médoc. Several hundred people were evacuated from this village located between the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean, near the seaside resort of Lacanau, and the Bordeaux conurbation. Here’s what we know about the fire.
Already 3,200 hectares burned
The fire has already covered 3,200 hectares since Monday, according to the count shared Tuesday evening by the prefecture. “The winds are now reaching 40 to 50 km / h, the fire has started again”worried Tuesday afternoon on franceinfo Laurent Peyrondet, mayor of Lacanau, a municipality bordering Saumos.
Impressive aerial footage of the fire at #Saumos #Gironde attesting to the extent that this fire took in a few hours
SDIS 33cc @F3Regions @FlorianRinguede @lehesran @marie_pouchin @franceinfo @infofrance3 @FirefightersFR @PrefAquitaine33 @gironde pic.twitter.com/ZDqYQlUWVC– France 3 Aquitaine (@F3Aquitaine) September 13, 2022
A flare forms above the blaze of the fire #gironde #saumos #medoc attesting to the violence of the disaster Sdis33 Cc @lehesran @FlorianRinguede @franceinfo @infofrance3 @FirefightersFR @PrefAquitaine33 @gironde pic.twitter.com/CfCNRSO0mT
– France 3 Aquitaine (@F3Aquitaine) September 13, 2022
Homes destroyed and hundreds evacuated
Faced with the advance of the flames and the release of smoke, more than 800 inhabitants of the villages of Saumos or Sainte-Hélène have been evacuated since Monday evening and directed to neighboring municipalities. Nearly fifty horses have also had to be evacuated.
The inhabitants of certain hamlets of Sainte-Hélène are called upon to evacuate due to the spread of the fire #fire #gironde @nikopressigout CC @lehesran @FlorianRinguede @DFCIaquitaine @PrefAquitaine33 @gironde @Gendarmerie pic.twitter.com/51R86KJmtI
– France 3 Aquitaine (@F3Aquitaine) September 13, 2022
Since 10 a.m. this morning, 45 horses have been evacuated from a stable in Saint Helena #fire #gironde #saumos Nicolas Pressigout @nikopressigout @F3Aquitaine
CC @lehesran @FlorianRinguede @franceinfo @F3Regions @infofrance3 @DFCIaquitaine @gironde pic.twitter.com/Wi2zxisVOd– France 3 Aquitaine (@F3Aquitaine) September 13, 2022
Four houses in the Saumos area were destroyed or partially destroyed overnight from Monday to Tuesday, according to information from France 3 Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Several roads are also closed to traffic.
#Fire #Saumos |⛔️Closed to traffic for the duration of the intervention against the #Forest fires :
– D5E3 between the D6 and Saumos
– D5E4 between Le Porge and Saumos
– D5 between Le Temple and Ste Hélène and via Saumos
– D801 cycle track between Ste Hélène and the D807 track pic.twitter.com/cnetrCICxx– Prefect of New Aquitaine and Gironde (@PrefAquitaine33) September 13, 2022
“Residents cannot return to their homes for the moment”warned Tuesday the sub-prefect of Lesparre-Médoc, Fabrice Thibier, during a press briefing.
About 750 firefighters mobilized
A total of 750 firefighters are now mobilized, reports Tuesday evening the prefecture of Gironde. The latter are supported by 200 vehicles and significant air resources: three Canadair, two Dash, a heavy water bomber helicopter and a light one.
Farmers in the region also lent a hand to the firefighters by supplying them with water using tank trucks, reports France 3 Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
Farmers and contractors come to support firefighters with cisterns #solidarity ❤️ #fire #gironde @nikopressigout CC @lehesran @FlorianRinguede @franceinfo @infofrance3 @DFCIaquitaine @PrefAquitaine33 @gironde @FirefightersFR pic.twitter.com/DFcka7skf4
– France 3 Aquitaine (@F3Aquitaine) September 13, 2022
The fire brigade command post, initially installed in Saumos, has meanwhile been moved to the town of Temple, reports the daily. South West.
The wind, a source of concern
The firefighters fear the next difficult hours due to the weather forecast. The tide turned and the fire progressed along the entire northern front. “The winds are now reaching 40 to 50 km / h, the fire has started again”, worried Tuesday afternoon on franceinfo the mayor of Lacanau. The latter is said “very worried” in the face of the evolution of this fire “gigantic”. “The fire takes on proportions that we did not think possible”adds Laurent Peyrondet.
This fire comes as the Gironde is on alert at the start of the week in the face of a new heat wave which is causing high temperatures. It was 37.5°C in Bordeaux on Monday.
A department already hit by fires
Since the beginning of a summer marked by a historic drought, the department of Gironde, which is home to part of the largest coniferous forest in Europe, has suffered spectacular fires. The two main fires burned 30,000 hectares in July and August at La Teste-de-Buch, on the edge of the Arcachon basin, and at Landiras, about forty kilometers south of Bordeaux.
An investigation has been opened to determine the origin of this new fire. According to the sub-prefect of Lesparre-Médoc, it is however “far too early to talk about a criminal trail, nothing leads to believe it for the moment”.