It will still be very hot in France this Sunday, July 17; 38 departments have been placed on orange alert, mostly on the Atlantic coast. It is precisely there that one of the worst fires in recent decades broke out on Tuesday, July 12. In Gironde, more than 10,000 hectares of forests have gone up in smoke in the Arcachon basin at Teste-de-buch and in the municipalities of Landiras and Guillos. The situation is still very critical and the evacuation of populations continues.
Yet another night when firefighters struggled in darkness and thick smoke, their progress is slowed as the fires advance relentlessly, says our special correspondent Sylvie Kofi. ” Everything changes practically every hour, or even less, testifies a firefighter, then we must also take into consideration the fatigue of the people who are already there for our group, since Wednesday for some. »
When the firefighters come to the end of a hearth, another outbreak of fire is signaled by the patrols which furrow this forest of pines, pines as far as the eye can see, charred but which remain upright. After being violently licked by the flames, smoke still chokes at the feet of these giants, covered with a thick layer of ash.
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No immediate improvement announced
Evacuating, protecting, securing and sheltering these populations is the priority. Populations still in shock and worried, without news of their homes, of the animals they had to leave in the emergency. And for now, no going home. The municipalities welcome them in accommodation centers or the village hall where there is still room. Others have found solutions with family or friends. At daybreak, the Canadairs and Dash planes will criss-cross the sky to support the ground teams, exhausted by the night.
And the situation may not improve soon since nearly 36 degrees are expected today in Bordeaux and up to 41 degrees in Bélis, in the Landes.
The village hall near the town hall and the church has been refitted for this emergency reception, a few spike beds installed, something to sleep, eat… And above all to keep your spirits up, not easy for this mother who left everything behind. “We quickly took on board everything we could, in toilets, in change, at least in one day, then enough to eat for the dog. We don’t know what’s going to happen, anyway we can’t stop the fire like that, we are aware of the problem, we don’t blame anyone but it’s dramatic…” By his side his companion is disillusioned. “It’s very scary, we have to leave our things behind in our house, we don’t think the house sucks because the woods already burned down two years ago around this village, it’s the smoke that sucks this time around so you just have to go, you have to be patient, you have to stay calm, you have to let people do their thing and hope the wind stops, and it there is a deluge of rain as soon as possible.” The wait is long, too long for these worried displaced people who have no news from their homes and who have only one desire, to return home as soon as possible. .
Report in an accommodation center in Villandrot, a few kilometers from the fires