On the departmental roads that crisscross the forest, tankers and other off-road vehicles spin at full speed in the night, with the lights on. In the charred part of the forest, several dozen logs are still burning for miles. “We leave them, because they no longer threaten anything around” explain the firefighters. On the side of the road we can also see a completely burned vehicle, while further ahead the log of a sawmill continues to be devoured by the flames.
The #fire fighters keep fighting the fire #Saumos in #Gironda and I’m dealing with several fires this Tuesday night. Video 20 minutes. pic.twitter.com/lXTVW0YkGy
– 20minutibordeaux (@ 20minutibord) September 13, 2022
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On Tuesday evening, around 10 pm, the activity of the firefighters was still very dense, because the situation was far from under control in Saumos (Gironde), near Lacanau, where a huge fire broke out on Monday. Impressively, the plume of smoke had grown and in the evening extended to the gates of Bordeaux, where several inhabitants smelled of smoke. On Wednesday, the prefecture of Gironde announced that another 300 hectares were burned overnight, bringing the total area of forest destroyed by the fire to 3,500 hectares.
“Active reconnaissance”
The progress of the fire seems to be “slower, thanks to the wind that has fallen”, already noted in the evening by Lieutenant Colonel Eric Pitault, who accompanies us into the heart of the fire. “Even if there are still recoveries in several points, he immediately adds, showing worrying flames at the end of a course. As soon as we see a new outbreak of fire, our resources go straight to it ”.
This is the case with this house on the edge of the forest. A truck “heals” the fire which is only a few meters from the house, and a dozen firefighters are waiting around the building, ready to intervene in turn to protect it if the fire lasts longer. The goal of the firefighters is that there are no injuries or houses destroyed. On Tuesday evening, the toll showed four houses totally or partially burned, while no serious injuries had been identified.
The “site”, as the firefighters call it, was divided into three sectors, with subsectors. “We cross the field with pre-positioned resources who will work all night,” continues Lieutenant Colonel Eric Pitault. They will do active reconnaissance. Between 400 and 500 firefighters, of the 900 mobilized in all, including 300 from the Gironde, remained on the front until early in the morning, and about 200 vehicles rotated around the perimeter. “The goal is to keep the fire burning all night,” continues the officer. In the morning we will see the extension with a helicopter reconnaissance. “
Air assets have gone off for another fire
On Tuesday the winds from the south, south-west, which however are turning, have posed enormous difficulties for the firefighters. “From 2 pm the fire was reinvigorated and started again, which is why we evacuated a dozen more houses at the level of a fraction”, analyzes the firefighter. In all, around 840 people have been evacuated since Monday, including 300 on Tuesday.
“Also, we were deprived of aerial resources for part of the day, as they left for another fire in Vendays [à une quarantaine de kilomètres plus au nord], by virtue of the national doctrine which provides for the use of aircraft on an incipient fire, to extinguish it as quickly as possible. Suddenly, only the firefighters on the ground were able to work, and even if they managed to limit its progress, the fire started again. “
“It put us at a disadvantage, because the fire could grow on the sides, recognizes the prefect Fabienne Buccio, but this tactic proved to be valid, with the aim of avoiding having two fronts at the same time. In fact, the situation in Vendays had turned “favorable” by the end of the day and only about ten hectares burned. The air assets, namely three Canadair, two Dash and three bomber helicopters were able to return to Saumos late Tuesday afternoon and continue their launches until 20:30.
Dry vegetation and high temperatures
In the end, the Saumos fire covered 1,500 hectares again on Tuesday. “This fire is complicated because we are on extremely dry vegetation, with high temperatures when we are in mid-September, and with revolving winds” continues the prefect.
The authorities were particularly concerned on Tuesday, when the fire “passed a strategic point, namely Department 6, which opens its doors to the city of Sainte-Hélène, explains Fabienne Buccio. We hope to be able to stop him there … The firefighters will fight all night for this ”.
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