FINISTERE FIRE. The fire on the Monts d’Arrée, in Brittany, is about to be contained. The fire that broke out in Brasparts (Finistère) is completely under control.
[Mise à jour le 21 juillet à 16h21] Good news for the Monts d’Arrée! The prefecture of Finistère announces, this Thursday, July 21, 2022, that the fire which broke out in Brasparts is “under control”. This corner of Brittany had been plagued by a fire since Monday July 18, which ravaged 1725 hectares of vegetation. From now on, “the situation is completely stabilized” indicates the prefecture. A real relief as the flames destroyed moors, fir forests and foliage for four days, miraculously sparing the chapel of Mont Saint-Michel de Brasparts, yet surrounded by fire. From now on, it is for the firefighters to extinguish the fire definitively, while the 500 people evacuated preventively were able to return to their homes on Wednesday evening.
Update on the situation – Brasparts fire
At this time, the situation is completely stabilized with a controlled fire.The total burnt area is 1725 hectares of vegetation composed of moors, fir forests and deciduous trees.
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– Prefect of Finistère (@Prefet29) July 21, 2022
The prefecture said Thursday that 1,725 hectares of land and woods had burned, the equivalent of more than 1,600 football fields. The fire that broke out in Brittany, in the Monts d’Arrée (Finistère), caused no casualties. No injuries are also to be deplored. About 500 people had to leave their homes, according to the latest count announced by the Finistère prefecture mid-morning on Tuesday. They were residents of Botmeur, a town north of Brasparts (see map below), as well as three surrounding hamlets.
The damage only concerns the vegetation currently in flames. No homes were affected by the fire. Several roads are closed, again this Wednesday morning, to traffic: the RD 764 from Commana to La Feuillée; the RD 785 from Roch Tredudon to Brasparts; the RD 11, from the Commana sector to the south of the RD764, the RD 30 and the RD 42 in the Saint-Rivoal, Saint Cadou and Botmeur sector.
Map of the fire in the Monts d’Arrée
The fire that has struck the Monts d’Arrée since Monday July 18, 2022 therefore broke out in the town of Brasparts, in Finistère, located 50km east of Brest, in the heart of the Armorique regional park. The fire (in red on the map) had moved due to gusts of wind.
Images of the fire in Brittany
In Brittany, the flames also spread through the vegetation. Several images make it possible to realize the extent of the fire, but also the damage it causes, broadcast in particular by local journalists from daily newspapers West France and Telegram.
What is the origin of the fire in the Monts d’Arrée?
The Quimper prosecutor’s office took up the subject by opening an investigation this Wednesday, July 20. Regarding the Brasparts fire, “the voluntary origin of the facts not being certain, the current investigation is open on “counts of offense of involuntary destruction by fire which can create irreversible damage to the environment”, specified the prosecutor of Quimper, Carine Halley.A second investigation, this time for “willful destruction by fire” was also opened on the origins of the fire on the site of Brennilis which has “certainly a human origin”. this fire is “obvious due to the finding of two fire starts 30 meters apart.” The prosecution also specifies that “no link has been established to date between the two disasters” which affected Finistère.