In the aftermath of this fire, dozens of firefighters are still stationed in the forest of Rennes, to monitor but also to continue to “drown the vegetation“. For its part, the National Forestry Office (ONF) draws up an initial assessment. The fire which took place in the forest of Rennes, this Monday, May 16, 2022, along the A84, destroyed 25 hectares of vegetation. “Almost every year we have small fires, of the order of one hectare of vegetation. But this time, it’s really very substantial. It’s the biggest fire we’ve seen since 2003. “indicates Isabelle Bertrand, regional director of the ONF in Brittany. The trees that have burned are essentially “young trees, less than 10 years old but some pines and older hardwoods were also affected”.
The firefighters did a great job to contain this fire, and prevent it from spreading further in the massif.
The ONF salutes the work of the firefighters. “It is a fire that lodges in the ground made of peat, and which smolders for hours. It takes a very long time to turn offIt is for this reason that the firefighters remain on site in large numbers. When all risk has been eliminated, the ONF services will have to secure the trees which could be dangerous.
Access restrictions until further notice
The Prefect of Ille-et-Vilaine decided by decree, this Tuesday, May 17, 2022, to restrict access to the forest. Until further notice, you can no longer get there from the municipalities of Liffré, Saint-Sulpice-la-Forêt and Thorigné-Fouillard. “You really should not go there, because you can interfere with the work of the firefighters still on site. And then, it’s dangerous, we are not immune to a recovery“says the regional director of the ONF.
In this sector, it is also forbidden to use anything that could cause a fire to start by sparks: generators, brush cutters, chainsaws, machinery fitted with a grinder or even welding or cutting equipment. Any violation will be severely punished with the risk of criminal sanctions, indicates the Prefecture.
A call to the vigilance of all walkers
The Prefect calls on everyone to be extremely vigilant with often elementary reflexes: that of not smoking in forest areas, throwing a cigarette butt there or lighting a barbecue less than 200 meters away. In the event of a fire starting, call 18 or 112. “Even though we are only at the end of spring, we are already in a period of drought. You have to keep in mind that all the vegetation is sensitive“Warn Isabelle Bertrand.” Be careful, for example, not to throw away glass waste, a bottle, with the magnifying effect, can cause a fire. We really have to respect the rules of vigilance at the moment in our Breton forests” adds the regional director of the ONF.