In a context of high temperatures in the southern half of the country, firefighters continued their fierce fight against several fires in the south-west and south-east of France on Friday.
In Gironde, the “privileged criminal thesis” for one of the two fires
Fanned by this extreme heat, two fires have burned some 7,700 hectares since Tuesday in the south-west of France and in particular near the very touristy Dune du Pilat. “The fires are still not fixed and unfortunately the conditions are similar with wind forecasts for today,” explained fire commander Matthieu Jomain.
The two fires raging in La Teste-de-Buch near Arcachon, and in Landiras, in the south of the department, have not yet been brought under control. These two fires mobilize a thousand firefighters, have led to the evacuation of 11,300 people since Tuesday.
“The criminal thesis is privileged” in the investigation into the causes of the Landiras fire, said the Bordeaux prosecutor’s office, specifying “that all avenues continue to be explored” and that “no police custody is n ‘is in progress “.
The fire would have started from a roadside according to the account to the investigators of a witness who “saw a start of fire and a car hastily leaving the scene”, according to the prosecution. “He (this witness) then tried to go home to get a fire extinguisher but it was too late, he immediately gave the alert”, continued a source familiar with the matter.
In the Landiras sector, about forty kilometers south of Bordeaux, 4,500 hectares of forest were burned.
In the case of the fire in La Teste-de-Buch, in the Arcachon basin, the authorities very quickly made the link with a broken down truck which had caught fire on a busy forest road. “The accidental thesis is privileged”, confirmed again this Friday the prosecution, specifying that “the expertise of the vehicle will take place Monday afternoon”.
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Resumption of fire near Avignon, an open investigation
In the Bouches-du-Rhône, some 680 firefighters remained mobilized in the face of the fire which has hit the Montagnette massif since Thursday, south of Avignon, the mistral coming to complicate their work. If this brazier is now fixed, the wind caused some flare-ups this Friday and the area covered is now 1,400 hectares.
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“The SDIS13 remains mobilized on the 3 construction sites of the Montagnette massif, in Graveson and Tarascon with 630 firefighters in action”, specified on his Facebook account Lucien Limousin, the mayor of Tarascon.
The mayors of Graveson, Barbentane, Tarascon and Boulbon plan to file a complaint against the SNCF. It seems that it was a defective brake on a freight car that was the cause of the sparks and the outbreak of fire. An investigation was opened for involuntary fire.
“According to testimonies, this freight train would have generated sparks on several occasions,” explained the Tarascon prosecutor. This train “caused nine fire starts”, according to Lieutenant-Colonel Bisone, saying that everything was “probably linked to a blocked brake shoe”.
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During a visit to the Crisis Management Operational Center (Cogic) this Friday, Emmanuel Macron affirmed the “mobilization” of state services and thanked the firefighters and elected officials who are fighting the fires. “We are mobilized” and “we will continue to hold out”, assured the Head of State.
The President also welcomed the fact that France could “benefit from European solidarity” within the framework of the European Civil Protection Mechanism (MEPC). Greece has made available two Canadairs who are already on the ground in Nîmes, said the Ministry of the Interior. Two Canadairs from Italy will be deployed as required.
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