Strengthening forest surveillance in Gironde in the face of rising temperatures
Quick Look
- A month and a half after the Saumos fire which destroyed 42,000 hectares and led to the evacuation of 220,000 people, temperatures are rising in Gironde this weekend, with forecasts of 30 to 36 degrees.
- The prefecture confirms the gradual strengthening of monitoring and intervention resources in the forest, particularly in Lège-Cap-Ferret and Lacanau, where hot spots persist.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
A month and a half after the Saumos fire, which ravaged 42,000 hectares and led to the evacuation of 220,000 people, temperatures are rising in Gironde this weekend.
This is bound to be stressful for the residents of the Arcachon and Lacanau basins, in Gironde. A month and a half after the start of the Saumos fire, which ravaged 42,000 hectares and led to the evacuation of 220,000 people, temperatures are rising again from this Friday until Sunday.
Météo-France predicts highs above 30 degrees with peaks at 36 on Sunday. In this context the prefecture confirms to 20 Minutes that surveillance of the forest massif is reinforced.
Gradual reinforcement of resources
“The weather conditions announced until Monday are likely to maintain maximum vigilance in the forest,” estimates the Gironde prefecture. She points to vegetation which still remains “particularly dry”, the hydrometry will be close to 30%, the wind will blow between 5 to 10 km/h “with potential gusts to 24 km/h”. So many reasons for maintaining orange vigilance for forest fires and for a gradual strengthening of resources on site.
This Thursday afternoon, around thirty firefighters and twelve tanker trucks were mobilized (compared to a dozen firefighters and four tanker trucks in the morning) in the two sectors of Lège-Cap-Ferret and Lacanau, where hot spots persist. These are the sectors most at risk which will be particularly monitored over the next three days.
From this Friday, when the heat will be felt more, resources in the forest will be further increased with “seven forest fire intervention groups (GIFF) and seven units across the entire departmental forest area, or 112 additional firefighters”, underlines the prefecture. Aerial means of fighting fires, namely a Dash, six Air Tractors, a heavy helicopter and a super heavy helicopter, remain deployed in the area.
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The prefecture specifies that the Saumos fire “can only be declared extinguished from the moment when the perimeter of the fire no longer includes any hot spots and the assessment of the conditions no longer allows for the possibility of reactivation”.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The strengthening of surveillance and intervention resources will be maintained at least until next Monday.
Very likely · Within days
The Lège-Cap-Ferret and Lacanau sectors will be subject to particularly increased surveillance over the next three days.
Very likely · Within days
Open Questions
- What is the current extent of hot spots in the forest massif?
- Will the deployed air resources be sufficient in the event of an active resumption of the fire?
- What is the expected duration of the reinforcement of ground staff?
