In Gironde, a forest fire destroyed nearly 420 hectares – Le Figaro

VIDEO – The fire, which broke out yesterday in Saint-Jean-d’Illac, 20 kilometers west of Bordeaux, was relaunched on Saturday evening with the wind .

Some 150 more homes were evacuated preventively Saturday evening in Gironde, where firefighters were preparing to spend a second night of fight against the forest fire of Saint-Jean-d’Illac, which destroyed 420 hectares of pine forest since Friday, authorities said.

The fire had been “stabilized” at midday but There has been renewed winds “with gusts over 40 km / h, and an unfavorable change in the sector over a fire which forced to redeploy significant resources to treat it,” said the operational PC cabinet director the prefect of Gironde, Simon Bertoux.

According to an updated report, at least 380 hectares of pine forest were destroyed by fire, for which the police did not exclude any cause, which broke out around 2:30 p.m. Friday at Saint-Jean d’Illac 20 km southwest of Bordeaux. Between 300 and 350 firefighters remained mobilized late Saturday afternoon.

Five aircraft against fire should remain engaged in the early evening, with four Canadair, two back of their base Marignane (Bouches-du-Rhône), they had returned Saturday Dash and a water bomber, according to the prefecture.

“There is no excitement, but there is a serious situation that is unfavorable again, and deserves a strong commitment, “told AFP the prefecture. “The fire advanced towards the south, towards a more wooded area, this is not the worst front, but it’s a recovery.”

Two Canadair however, had to be temporarily directed at the end of afternoon to a nascent forest fire in the Medoc, near Naujac-sur-Mer, 65 km from the fire of Saint-Jean-d’Illac. No accommodation has been reached by the fire since Friday and no new evacuation was planned initially Saturday.

The recovery of fire and the continued commitment of the firefighters will delay the return to their homes of some 120 homes evacuated as a precaution Friday night: 40 in Saint-Jean-d’Illac, and 80 on the near Pessac town. Most have been relocated with relatives, a few dozen people in a gym. Approximately 80 patients with mild psychiatric care center, also evacuated Friday were supported at the University Hospital of Bordeaux and a military hospital Villenave Ornon in the Bordeaux suburbs.

(With AFP)