Fanned by the wind, fed by drought and heat, a fire devastated more than 150 hectares of pine forest in the Chiberta forest, in the center of Anglet (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), forcing the evacuation of many homes, of which at least six were damaged.
According to BFMTV, an investigation for “destruction by fire” was opened by the Bayonne prosecutor’s office.
165 hectares of pine forest destroyed
This fire of unknown origins, which broke out late Thursday afternoon, was “under control” Friday morning. “The fire is under control, there is an improvement compared to the night, but there are still two or three hard points, any risk of recovery is not ruled out, said the mayor of Anglet, Claude Olive. One hundred hectares of forest were destroyed in one piece, 165 hectares with the swings of fire. “
Eleven houses were affected by the fire, five of which were rendered uninhabitable, and 16 people were poisoned without seriousness, by the smoke, according to an updated report from the prefecture of Pyrénées-Atlantiques.
The firefighters observed “great vigilance all night long” in this wooded area of approximately 250 hectares located between the Adour river and the Atlantic, bordered in particular by a golf course and luxurious villas.
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During the night, the ongoing operations still mobilized some 150 firefighters and 50 motorized vehicles, as well as 60 police officers and Samu personnel, according to the prefecture. Firefighters from Gironde, Lot-et-Garonne and Landes had already come to lend a hand to their colleagues from the Pyrénées-Atlantiques.
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According to Eddie Bouttera, secretary general of the prefecture, five people – a police officer and four residents – were victims of light poisoning related to smoke. They were hospitalized in Bayonne, without risk to life.
More than a hundred people had been evacuated. Some were to be accommodated in a city gymnasium and the Red Cross was to set up a reception center
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