Control of the two fires in progress in the municipalities of La Teste-de-Buch and Landiras is made difficult by temperatures and the turning winds.
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Barely a week after a first series of devastating forest fires in the Gard, it is in Gironde that another fire front opens. In twenty-four hours, 1,200 hectares were ravaged by the flames at La Teste-de-Buch, on the Arrondissement of Arcachon, and 1,500 hectares of Pine Forest in Landiras south of Bordeaux, on the district de Langon.
The first fire, declared yesterday at 3:15 p.m., would have started from a vehicle fire, according to the departmental fire and rescue service (SDIS) in Gironde; The information has not yet been confirmed, since an “investigation is underway”, specifies, prudent, the sub-prefect of Langon, Vincent Ferrier. “The disaster is still not controlled, the situation is unfavorable with an extremely virulent head fire, and we have a factor of changing, turning winds, extremely unfavorable,” explained the lieutenant-colonel of firefighters, Olivier Chavatte, In the middle of the afternoon.
In Landiras, where a lesser-scale fire had already ravaged 6 hectares on July 7, it is a new start to fire, in the same place, started this time on July 12 in the afternoon. “The difficulty we have is that the fire can come out under peat at any time,” worries Vincent Ferrier.
With the arrival of reinforcements from other departments, planned by this evening, it is a total of 900 firefighters who are mobilized in the face of two size difficulties: very unfavorable weather conditions with a turning wind, temperatures high and very dry and sandy terrain, but also the simultaneity of fires. The lights in La Teste-de-Buch and Landiras, even if they are not linked, remain close enough and make operations more difficult for firefighters.
five campsites, a village and Evacuated hamlets
Four Canada are deployed, as well as two Dash planes. “We have received columns of Occitanie, Limousin, Val de Loire…”, explains Mr. Ferrier.
No injuries have so far been deplored on the side of civilians. Some firefighters were taken from a “hot stroke”, specifies the commander Matthieu Jomain, head of the SDIS Gironde communication, and they were taken care of “before leaving for the front”.
On July 12, Météo-France placed the Gironde in orange heat wave, and The prefect, Fabienne Buccio, passed the department in orange vigilance concerning the risk of Forest lights from the next day, July 13.
Access to the Pilat dune was closed to the public, three departmental roads were cut to traffic, and several evacuations took place this night – five campsites located near the dune are affected for precautionary measurement : A total of 6,000 vacationers were moved to the Teste Exhibition Center. According to Lieutenant-Colonel Olivier Chavatte, “no one can return to campsites by this evening, or even tomorrow. And with regard to additional evacuations, it is a bit early to decide”.
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