what we know about the fire that has already ravaged 3,200 hectares in the Médoc

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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.

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.

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.

“Residents cannot return to their homes for the moment”warned Tuesday the sub-prefect of Lesparre-Médoc, Fabrice Thibier, during a press briefing.

More than 900 firefighters mobilized

In total, more than 900 firefighters will be mobilized on Tuesday evening, reports the prefecture of Gironde. The latter are supported by 200 vehicles and significant air resources: three Canadair, two Dash, three water bomber helicopters.

Farmers in the region also lent a hand to the firefighters by supplying them with water using tank trucks, reports France 3 Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

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”.


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