The two fires that have been burning in Gironde for more than a week have “very very little progress” overnight, said on Twitter during a last assessment the prefecture, Wednesday July 20 in the morning. Emmanuel Macron is expected on site in the afternoon.
With 300 hectares destroyed overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, “the results are rather positive, the situation has improved during the night, but the two lights are still not fixed”, warns Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Mendousse, a spokesperson for the Gironde firefighters. The two fires have destroyed 20,600 hectares of forest since July 12. The fire located in Landiras, 40 km south of Bordeaux, ravaged 13,600 hectares of forest and that of La Teste-de-Buch, in the Arcachon basin, destroyed 7,000.
During the night, no new evacuations were ordered and no casualties were reported. Since the start of the fires, nearly 37,000 people have been evacuated, said Tuesday evening the sub-prefect of Arcachon, Ronan Léaustic. The prefect of Gironde and New Aquitaine, Fabienne Buccio, announced Tuesday evening a “quiet” :
“We were able to work on the defense against fire. We were able to really refine, move forward, create major firewalls. »
Fabienne Buccio also mentioned a weather forecast “fresher”which contributed to these advances, deploring however the absence of rain.
“Exceptional and exemplary mobilization, solidarity and commitment”
During a situation update on Tuesday, the President of the Republic, who will visit “alongside firefighters, civil security personnel, law enforcement, elected officials and all those mobilized”, asked to “continue the action taken to fight the fires in Gironde, while increasing the national capacity for action for the weeks to come”said the Elysée.
“For more than a week, the mobilization, solidarity and commitment of all the living forces of the nation mobilized on these fires have been exceptional and exemplary”, insisted the presidency in a press release. Emmanuel Macron will be accompanied by the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin.
The person who had been taken into police custody on Monday in the investigation into the origin of a fire still in progress in Landiras, was “release” at 1 o’clock, “the expertise, analysis of the elements collected and hearings carried out, putting it out of the question”announced the parquet floor of Bordeaux, in a press release, Wednesday. “Investigations are continuing”continues the prosecution.
Fire “under control” in Brittany
In addition, the fire which has ravaged hundreds of hectares of moorland in the Monts d’Arrée since Monday was still ongoing on Wednesday morning, but its progress was slowing down and ” the situation [était] in progress », said the Finistère prefecture. The burned area was 1,725 hectares at 8 a.m., compared to 1,700 hectares the day before at 5 p.m.
Some 278 firefighters and 60 firefighting vehicles were on site to fight the flames, according to the prefecture. Several roads were still closed to traffic.
A total of 500 people had to be evacuated because of the fire which broke out in the town of Brasparts, in Finistère, in the heart of the Arrée mountains, in a natural site known for its biodiversity. The town of Botmeur was notably evacuated by the authorities. Accommodation centers have been set up in Sizun and Landivisiau.
–
