Published: Less than 3 hours ago
Thousands of firefighters are fighting the flames of the large forest fire in France.
Swedish aircraft have been sent down to help with the extinguishing work.
During Friday, the rescue service caught a rare “tornado of fire” on film.
Over 1,000 firefighters are currently fighting intensively to put out the aggressive fire that is raging in western France. Over 14,000 hectares have been consumed by the flames since July.
Tens of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes, writes the AFP news agency.
Because of the heavy fire, six EU countries have sent help to France. Among other things, Sweden has chosen to contribute to the extinguishing work by sending aircraft to France.
“Our partners are coming to France’s aid against the fires. Thanks to them. European solidarity is on its way!” wrote the country’s president Emmanuel Macron on Twitter.
He also praised all the firefighters battling the flames.
“Across the country, over 10,000 firefighters and security forces are mobilized against the flames. These fire soldiers are our heroes,” he writes.
“Fire tornado” by the firefighters
At the same time, the country is fighting against extreme weather that allows several fires to occur. During Friday and Saturday, temperatures are expected to reach over 35 degrees.
“There is a serious risk of new outbreaks,” the rescue service told the news agency.
During Friday, the rescue service published a video from the raging fires in the Bordeaux area. The video shows how firefighters work to put out a fire in a forest area.
The video then shows how a tornado caught the flames near the working firefighters.
“A fire tornado is passing right behind a group of firefighters in Gironde,” writes the rescue service on Twitter.