more than 400 hectares burned in the Médoc, the town of Saumos evacuated

A fire in progress in the Médoc in Saumos, near Lacanau, reports France Bleu Gironde. More than 400 hectares have already gone up in smoke. The situation is not under control. An investigation was opened to determine the origin of the disaster, “a priori criminal”, according to the gendarmes of the Gironde. The mayor of Saumos evokes three almost simultaneous fire starts.

The 500 inhabitants of Saumos were evacuated as a precaution. They are directed towards Sainte-Hélène and Le Temple. About thirty inhabitants found refuge in the Porge gymnasium. The municipal campsite was also made available. Departmental 5 is closed in both directions between Saumos and Le Temple and between Le Temple and Sainte-Hélène until further notice.

In all, 340 firefighters from Gironde, Charente-Maritime and Lot-et-Garonne are on site and are assisted by air resources from Civil Security: two Canadair, two water bomber helicopters, a Dash. “We fear thunderstorms in the area with strong gusts which could aggravate the situation”explained Monday evening on franceinfo the lieutenant-colonel Laurent Pham, communication officer Sdis 33 of Gironde.

The fire started in the middle of the afternoon. The fire is qualified “quite virulent” by firefighters who mention unfavorable weather conditions: heat, drought, low humidity and wind. “The start of the fire around 3 p.m. was so fast and violent that it was difficult to contain it and the fire progressed”., explains Lieutenant-Colonel Laurent Pham. The fire is “relatively similar” to those of this summer. “These are fires that started very quickly with a violence that we have rarely experienced”indicates the communication officer SDIS 33 from Gironde.

“These fires have very high propagation speeds and unfortunately we are still running behind them and trying to maintain and contain them.”

Lieutenant Colonel Laurent Pham, Sdis 33

at franceinfo

The high temperatures and the lack of rain have dried up “vegetation and fire are changing very quickly in these areas.” Reinforcements are expected, including a dozen firefighters from Haute-Vienne who leave Monday evening with two tank trucks, a liaison vehicle and a logistics vehicle.