Fire in the Landes: the fire has spread again, nearly 1,600 hectares burned

The start of the night had, however, been more favorable. But the fire raging in the Landes spread again this Saturday at dawn.

“We had relatively significant recovery in the south, near Garein”, a village of around 400 inhabitants located south of Luglon, the town of 350 inhabitants near which the fire started on Thursday afternoon, the prefect said during a press point.

These resumptions led to “an increase in burned areas”. “We are almost at 1,600 now, 1,580,” detailed Gilles Clavreul. New evacuations were also necessary: ​​around a hundred people had to leave the area, bringing the total number of evacuees to 650. “No home” was “affected”, however assured the prefect.

More than 500 people, residents and tourists present in campsites, were evacuated during the night from Thursday to Friday from Luglon, then a few dozen more on Friday. The fire, which was “evolving rather favorably,” “was reactivated around 4:30 a.m.,” said Colonel Arnaud Fabre, director of the Landes SDIS.

Hundreds of firefighters mobilized

“It’s a complicated sector in terms of access for our means. This required committing a large part of our forces. They contained it with a lot of commitment,” added the fire official. Around 550 firefighters are mobilized against this third major fire of the summer in the immense Landes de Gascogne massif, mainly populated by maritime pines dried out by the heat waves favored by climate change.

It comes after those of Biscarrosse, in Landes, which burned 3,700 hectares at the end of July, and Saumos, in Gironde, which devastated 42,000 hectares.

Air assets expected

The prefect indicated that he had “requested the takeoff of the Chinook”, a giant water bomber helicopter loaned by Australia. This “could be the first to intervene in the area”, also with Canadair and other air assets “depending on availability”. “The objective is to contain” the fire, underlined Colonel Arnaud Fabre. “All resources are being re-engaged gradually. So, we will do our job. And on this, I am optimistic. »

Weather conditions could also be more favorable on Saturday. “The temperatures will still be a little less scorching today than yesterday,” said Gilles Clavreul, who also hopes that the rain forecast for the early evening will be there.