Gironde fire. The Saumos fire, in Gironde, has been fixed since the afternoon of Thursday, September 15 afternoon. 3,400 hectares of forest burned and 1,700 people out of the 1,840 evacuees were able to return to their homes.
[Mis à jour le 16 septembre à 8h11] Four days of struggle and 3400 hectares burned but the fire in Saumos, in Gironde, was “fixed” in the afternoon of Thursday, September 15. It remains to control and extinguish the flames which, if they do not progress any more, continue to burn the Médoc Regional Natural Park. The work of the firefighters who are still several hundred to be mobilized could still last several days “at least ten” according to the mayor of Sainte-Hélène, Lionel Montillaud, with South West. Their actions should, however, be facilitated by more favorable weather conditions which allowed the fire to be fixed yesterday according to a communicated of the prefecture. The firefighters must also overcome the fire in Gironde, avoid or deal with resumptions of fire and hot spots that are still observed.
Although the Saumos fire has not yet been extinguished, many homes are no longer in danger and 1,700 inhabitants of neighboring towns, i.e. almost all of the people evacuated as a preventive measure, were able to return to their homes on the evening of September 15. Another 140 people are kept away from their homes located in “burnt areas” because “the security conditions [ne sont] not met to allow reintegration”, noted the administration. The mobilization of a thousand firefighters and the deployment of significant air resources – six Canadair, three Dash and two water bomber helicopters – on the fire in Gironde allowed to avoid any human tragedy and minimized the material damage even if some houses and buildings were swept away by the flames. In addition to the treatment of the fire, it is necessary to shed light on its origin and since yesterday the privileged criminal track until now is no longer the main thesis according to France 3 New Aquitaine. The new elements of the judicial investigation showed that there had been only one start of fire, and not three as had been said at the beginning of the week. “All avenues therefore remain open,” said a journalist who spoke with the Bordeaux prosecutor’s office.
Map of the evolution of the fire in Gironde
It was in Saumos, a neighboring town of Lacanau and at the gates of the Médoc, in Gironde, that a new fire broke out on September 12. The fire progresses and threatens the town of Sainte-Hélène, but also the Temple. Below is a map to follow the evolution of the spread of the fire, updated to Thursday September 15, 2022 (2 p.m.).
What is the toll of the fire in Gironde?
After four days of firefighting in Gironde, no casualties were reported. Seven firefighters were slightly injured due to smoke-related poisoning. One of them also burned his hand. On the other hand, some material damage should be noted: three houses and five sheds were ravaged by the flames. To prevent any tragedy, more than 1,800 people were evacuated from their homes in Saumos, as well as around the town of Sainte-Hélène.
What is the origin of the fire in Gironde?
While the Gironde was suffering from overwhelming heat when the fire broke out on September 12, the first elements of the investigation seemed to indicate a fire “a priori of criminal origin” according to the Girondin gendarmes. Thursday, September 15, the criminal thesis is no longer favored since only one start of fire would have been observed and not three, as had first been announced. All avenues remain open and investigations must continue.
The Gironde fire took over several hectares of forest in just a few hours, as shown by media images and videos of firefighters or filmed amateurs.
Several fire watches hit the Girondin department this summer burning nearly 30,000 hectares, notably in Landiras, in the South of Gironde, and in La Teste-de-Buch, near the Bassin d’Arcachon. In July, the first fires and also the most destructive had different origins: that of La Teste was accidental while in Landiras the criminal track was privileged. In August, the fire was due to a resumption of the Landiras fire due to peat fires smoldering underground.