GIRONDE FIRES. On Friday August 12, firefighters arrived as reinforcements from Germany, Greece, Italy and Romania to help the 1,100 firefighters mobilized against the fires in Gironde. Since August 9, 7,400 hectares of forest have burned.
4:35 p.m. – European aid expected in Gironde
Since Thursday evening August 11, firefighters from Europe have been helping the French to put out the fires in Gironde. Friday, August 12, arrivals continue with help from Greece, Italy and Romania. A total of 361 European firefighters are expected. “Help is more than welcome,” said Commander Mathieu Jomain, interviewed by France Info.
4:20 p.m. – In Gironde, volunteers monitor forests against the risk of fire
Some residents of the municipalities affected by the fires in Gironde become lookouts for the firefighters, explains South West, in a article posted Friday August 12. Since the fires of mid-July in Gironde, these volunteers have been monitoring the woodlots. The firefighters, for example, prevented a resumption of fire in Saint-Symphorien, Thursday, August 11, after the alert of a man.
16:05 – What is the risk of fire outbreak?
In its press release Friday August 12, 2022, the prefecture of Gironde explains that “the climatic conditions, rising temperatures and falling hydrometry, raise fears of a day with a very severe risk of a fire outbreak”. This phenomenon is “a fire which smolders under the ground and which can travel hundreds of meters until it emerges at a given moment”, explains Lieutenant-Colonel Olivier Chavatte, questioned by The Republican of South Gironde.
15:50 – CO2 emissions linked to forest fires at their highest in France in 2022
According to estimates by the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) reported by France info, Friday August 12, more than one million tonnes of CO2 were released into the atmosphere due to forest fires in 2022. Since records began in 2003, these carbon emissions are the highest ever recorded. Usually, at this time of year, the average CO2 released is 0.5 million tonnes.
3:35 p.m. – Diversions still in place on the A63
On Twitter, the A63, which is located near the fire, shares the journey times to cross it. Diversions are still in place. Heavy goods vehicles follow a bypass route via the A64, A65 and A62, while car traffic is only possible between Bayonne and the Liposthey interchange (Landes) in both directions of traffic . In the direction of Bordeaux, after the Bénesse-Maremne barrier, the journey time is extended by around twenty minutes.
3:20 p.m. – A tornado of fire avoids firefighters in Gironde
Friday August 12, the Marne firefighters, who are deployed in Gironde to help stop the fires, shared a video of their intervention on Twitter. On this one we can see a tornado of fire which passes not far from a group of firefighters. “Good luck and great caution”, warn the firefighters, while the fire has burned 7,400 hectares since August 9.
3:05 p.m. – Emmanuel Macron greets the firefighters who have come to Gironde from Polynesia
On Twitter, the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, greets, Friday August 12, 2022, the firefighters of Polynesia who came to participate in the fight against fires in Gironde. “They come from the other side of the world to come and support their comrades […] thank you to our firefighters in Polynesia for their solidarity”, he wrote on the social network. In addition to this help, Europe has also sent firefighters from other countries.
14:50 – The Italian Canadairs and their crew members have arrived in Gironde
The two Italian Canadairs and their 14 crew members arrived in Gironde on Friday August 12, reports Republican South Gironde, which indicates that the Italian firefighters landed Friday morning at air base 106 in Mérignac (Gironde).
2:35 p.m. – Greek firefighters help fight the fire in Gironde
Arrived in Gironde to help fight fires in Gironde, a Greek Canadair pilot confided, Friday August 12, during a press briefing: “Together, we are stronger, we have more solutions against fire”. Several European countries have sent aid to France to support it in the fight against various fires, particularly in Gironde. Greece sent two Canadairs with 22 staff members.
14:20 – What are “zombie fires”?
The phenomenon of “zombie fires” is explained, Friday, August 12, in an article by TF1 news. The “zombie fires” are peat fires and explain why the Landiras fire resumed with such intensity on Tuesday August 9. They are the remains of old fireplaces that have continued to burn underground. Peat fires are difficult to detect since they are underground. Peat, an organic material rich in carbon, ignites underground.
14:05 – Air quality is poor in New Aquitaine
Friday August 12, Atmo Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the Air Observatory in New Aquitaine, indicated on Twitter that the air quality was poor in Gironde. The concentrations of suspended particles (PM10) and fine particles (PM2.5) increase “significantly around the burned areas”, details Atmo. “The weather conditions, dry air and wind, are not favorable for an improvement in the situation. The westerly winds present today and this weekend will tend to move the plume towards the east of the region”, continues the tweet.
1:50 p.m. – The ARS recommends wearing a mask in the face of smoke from fires
In Gironde, Véronique Billaud, deputy director general of ARS Nouvelle-Aquitaine, interviewed on BFM TV, Friday August 12, recommends for people close to the fires: “When you are outside and there is smoke, we can put on a mask (…) these masks protect us from the fine particles that are in the smoke.
13:35 – Surfaces burned during the fires in Landiras in one photo
The Copernicus satellite showed how many hectares were covered during the fires in Gironde, in particular in Landiras, where the fire, which started in mid-July, resumed on Tuesday August 9. On the snapshot shared on social networks, Friday August 12, we see two areas. The first, in orange, corresponds to the 14,000 hectares burned in July in Landiras. The second area, in red in the photo, is equivalent to the area burned since Tuesday, August 9.
13:20 – What do Dash planes drop during fires?
On Twitter, News Bordeaux explains how the Dash, mobilized to put out fires in Gironde, work. These planes can carry 10,000 liters of water. In their fight against forest fires in Gironde, they are loaded with 80% water and 20% retardant. The latter is a liquid, colored concentrate which makes it possible to spread a fireproof gel. It retards fire since areas sprayed with retardant are more resistant to intense heat.
13:05 – The Landes department placed on red alert for forest fires
The Landes department, which adjoins that of Gironde and which is also affected by the resumption of the fire, has been placed on heightened red vigilance for forest fires until Monday August 15, announces the Landes prefecture in a press release, Friday August 12. As a result, the circulation of motor vehicles is prohibited from noon to midnight “on forest tracks, rural roads, farm roads, cycle paths and other paths open to the public in exposed spaces”, she writes. It is forbidden to use fire, to smoke, to throw an incandescent debris, to camp, to shoot fireworks inside the woods and forests and within a radius of 200 m.
The causes of these new fire starts in Gironde in the sector west of Landiras are not yet known, but the criminal trail is being considered, said Elisabeth Borne, Thursday August 11. Questioned on Wednesday, Gérald Darmanin, the Minister of the Interior, had already mentioned a criminal track. “We have strong suspicions that the fire which is restarting is the work of arsonists. This morning, there were eight fires, between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., which started a few hundred meters apart in Gironde, so that’s totally unusual,” he said. This scenario was feared by firefighters, who note that the ground is dry and has retained its heat since mid-July. “When we dug the ground, we found temperatures of 150 degrees. We knew that in the peat, everything could come back”, testified the mayor of Biganos Bruno Lafon at the microphone of BFM TV.
In July, the fires in Landiras and La Teste-de-Buch, in Gironde, broke out on Tuesday July 12 around 3 p.m. and one hour apart, with different causes, accidental in La Teste- de-Buch with a breakdown and a fire of a vehicle and criminal in Landiras. The Bordeaux prosecutor had indicated that “the criminal identification technicians were able to make findings which accredit a deliberately malicious act”. The investigation for destruction by fire of wood, of forest which could cause damage to people was entrusted to the Langon Research Brigade which questioned itself on the possible links between the fire and other outbreaks of fire noted on same day. A track that no element confirms for the moment, but according to the prosecution, “clues remain to be exploited in order to eliminate or retain the thesis of the same author”. 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. More than 1,000 hectares of pines burned in a few hours, 5,000 hectares according to the assessment made Wednesday August 10 in the morning, 6,000 hectares Wednesday evening, 6,800 hectares according to the assessment of Thursday morning, 7,400 hectares finally according to the point of Friday August 12 in the morning. The fire is progressing with new starts in the sectors of Belin-Béliet, Hostens and Saint-Magne, but also in Cabanac-et-Villagrains where it could be fixed. While some hearths have been fixed, others are resisting and the persistence of strong heat and wind makes the work of the firefighters difficult.