GIRONDE FIRES. Saturday August 13, 2022, the fire which broke out in Gironde and in the Landes on August 9 covered 7,400 hectares. With the arrival of European firefighters and the means committed, the fire no longer progressed significantly. Firefighters treat the periphery of the fire.
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- Near Landiras, new fires broke out in Gironde on Tuesday evening August 9, where nearly 14,000 hectares had gone up in smoke in mid-July. On Saturday August 13 in the morning, the Gironde prefecture announced that 7,400 hectares of forest had burned, but that the fire “did not progress significantly” overnight from Friday to Saturday. The Gironde is still placed in heightened red vigilance for forest fires.
- Due to these fires and the spread of smoke, 10,000 people were evacuated, including 2,000 in the Landes. In Gironde, the municipalities concerned are Hostens, Belin-Béliet, Saint-Magne, while those of the Landes are Mano, Moustey and Saugnac-et-Muret. Friday evening August 12, 1,600 people were able to return to their homes in the Landes.
- European aid has arrived to help fight the fire in Gironde. German and Romanian firefighters came to the field as reinforcements on Friday, August 12. During the night from Friday to Saturday, 77 Austrian firefighters arrived with 14 vehicles. Saturday during the day, 146 Polish firefighters are expected with 49 vehicles. Greece and Italy provided assistance, with Canadair, on Friday August 12.
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13:21 – The fire did not “significantly progress” during the night
On Saturday August 13, the Gironde prefecture announced that the fire, which has burned 7,400 hectares since August 9, has not “significantly progressed this night. The firefighters are working to treat the periphery of the fire” , she explains. European reinforcements arrived overnight from Friday to Saturday, others are still expected.
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Coming to Gironde on Thursday August 11, the Prime Minister, Élisabeth Borne confirmed that the criminal trail was envisaged for the origin of these fires, but that the investigation should follow its course. On August 10, the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin had mentioned this criminal track: “We have strong suspicions that the fire which is restarting is the work of arsonists”, he said. Since the first fires in this sector, the conditions were met for the fire to resume quickly. The ground is very dry due to severe drought and the first fires. Added to this are scorching temperatures.
The July fires, which broke out on Tuesday July 12 an hour apart, had different origins. In La Teste-de-Buch, the cause was accidental, since a broken down vehicle had caught fire. In Landiras, the findings made by criminal identification technicians “accredit a deliberately malicious act”, said the Bordeaux prosecutor. The investigation for destruction by fire of wood, of forest which could cause damage to people was entrusted to the Langon Research Brigade. Monday July 18, a man was taken into custody and questioned. Suspected to be the cause of some fires, but not the main fire, according to France Blue Girondehe had finally been released and is exonerated, Wednesday, July 20.
Fixed at the end of July, the fire in Landiras (Gironde) started again a few kilometers away, during the day of Tuesday August 9, before gaining in intensity in the evening. On Saturday August 13, the fire burned 7,400 hectares of forest, but is no longer progressing significantly. The arrival of nearly 400 European firefighters as reinforcements in Gironde is helping the 1,100 firefighters mobilized to fight the flames. Friday evening August 12, the prefect of Gironde, Fabienne Buccio, indicated that the fire had not progressed for two days and that it was maintained.