GIRONDE FIRES. In Gironde, the fire burned nearly 10,000 hectares of vegetation. The criminal thesis is favored for the Landiras fire, against which the firefighters are still fighting. More than 12,200 people have been evacuated since Tuesday July 12.
The essential
- Saturday July 16, 2022, the two fires affecting the Gironde, in La Teste-de-Buch and Landiras, continued to progress overnight. The latest figures transmitted by the prefecture of Gironde, Saturday July 16, report 3,150 hectares burned in La Teste-de-Buch and 6,500 in Landiras. In addition, 12,200 people have been evacuated since Tuesday July 12, 2022.
- The weather did not help the emergency services: the high temperatures prevailing in the region, coupled with the wind, made fire extinguishing operations particularly difficult, even if the situation was fixed at La Teste-de-Buch. More than 1,200 firefighters are still mobilized, Saturday July 16, 2022.
- For the Landiras fire, the criminal thesis is privileged, said the Bordeaux prosecutor’s office, Friday July 15, 2022.
- The town of Louchats was evacuated, but is saved, Saturday July 16, 2022.
- Thousands of residents and holidaymakers in the region had to be evacuated from their places of residence to be brought to safety.
- Follow the evolution of the situation live.
Live
2:00 p.m. – In Gironde, 22 fire starts in the last 24 hours
On Twitter, the Prefect of Gironde announced that 1,200 firefighters are still mobilized against the fires, Saturday July 16, 2022. In 24 hours, the SDIS, departmental fire and rescue service, faced 22 fire starts. The inhabitants of the department are urged to be cautious.
???? #ForestFires in #Gironde
Now more than 1200 firefighters are mobilized to fight the fires of La Teste-de-Buch and Landiras.
In the past 24 hours, the SDIS has had to deal with 22 forest fires in the department of #Gironde
⚠️ CAUTION pic.twitter.com/RhXMQ9pTPM– Prefect of New Aquitaine and Gironde (@PrefAquitaine33) July 16, 2022
13:45 – New evacuations planned in Gironde
The sub-prefect of Langon, Vincent Ferrier, announced on Saturday July 16, 2022, several evacuations in the afternoon, in Hostens (around 1,500 people), as well as part of the communes of Saint-Symphorien and Villagrains . The prefecture warns that the situation “is very unfavourable, with winds pushing the fires to the southwest”. New evacuations could take place during the day depending on the evolution of the situation.
1:30 p.m. – A difficult situation in the days to come in Gironde
Questioned by France Info, the communication officer of the Gironde firefighters, Arnaud Mandousse, warns, Saturday July 16, 2022: “The situation will remain difficult in the next two or three days (…). What is the more complicated are the weather conditions for several months,” he added. Drought, high temperatures and strong winds make it difficult for firefighters to fight the fire.
1:15 p.m. – About 12,200 people evacuated in Gironde
Saturday July 16, 2022, the prefecture of Gironde announces that 10,000 people have been evacuated to La Teste-de-Buch since the start of the fires, Tuesday July 12. In Landiras, nearly 2,200 people were evacuated. These impressive fires caused no casualties. The prefect, Fabienne Buccio, asks residents not to go to the various disasters so as not to hinder the action of the relief workers.
1:00 p.m. – Nearly 10,000 hectares of forest have burned in Gironde
On Saturday July 16, 2022, the prefecture of Gironde announced that nearly 10,000 hectares of forest had burned in the department since the start of the fires on Tuesday July 12. In detail, 3,150 hectares of forest burned in Teste-de-Buch and 6,500 hectares burned in Landiras. The fires are not yet fixed, more than 1,200 firefighters, three Canadairs and a Dash plane are still mobilized on site.
Learn more
Where are the fires that broke out in Gironde and where are they spreading to? First, a first fire is located in the west of the department, in the town of La Teste-de-Buch, near Arcachon, along the Dune du Pilat and the Atlantic Ocean. The fire is heading south, towards Landes and the town of Biscarosse. Further east, the second fire started from Landiras, 45km south of Bordeaux. There too, due to weather and wind conditions, the flames are heading south.
At this stage, the two fires that broke out in Landiras and La Teste-de-Buch (Gironde) did not claim a single victim. No one has been injured or died so far. Only the vegetation burned. These forest fires nevertheless led to the displacement of more than 12,200 people across the department.
The fires broke out on Tuesday July 12 at 3 p.m. around the towns of Landiras and Teste-de-Buch, both located in Gironde. In La Teste-de-Buch, the start of fire is linked to an electrical problem which occurred on a car which caught fire on track 214 near the road to the ocean beaches confirmed Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Friday. In Landiras, the cause is not yet known, but the criminal track is strongly considered by the investigators, indicated the parquet floor of Bordeaux, Friday.