In popular holiday regions in southern France, the fire brigade is fighting "extreme weather conditions". The forest fires in the Cevennes have already destroyed hundreds of hectares of land - and are now threatening to spread to the villages.
In popular holiday areas in southern France, the fire brigade is fighting several forest fires. According to the authorities, the fires spread rapidly because of "extreme weather conditions" with strong winds and dry soil. Hundreds of firefighters and several fire-fighting planes were deployed.
In the Cévennes in France's Massif Central, firefighters battled a large blaze near the village of Bordezac. "This fire is a mega fire," said fire department spokesman Tanguy Sagères. The fire has already destroyed several hundred hectares of land and now poses a great danger to several villages.
"It's an extremely unfavorable and very critical situation because the wind doesn't let up and it won't calm down tomorrow either," said Sagères. "We don't see how we can stop this fire right now." On Thursday evening, 150 firefighters were on duty, and 350 more were requested as reinforcements. Several firefighting planes were also in action. About 30 residents had to leave Bordezac and seek safety in a neighboring town.
Another fire broke out on Thursday near the village of Générac, which is also in the Gard department. 120 firefighters responded with 50 fire engines. By evening, the flames had already engulfed 150 hectares of bush land and pine forest.
In the south-east of France, the fire brigade was fighting more than 30 sources of fire in the neighboring department of Bouches-du-Rhône. In Arles, a fire broke out in an industrial area, which spread to the national road 113 due to the strong wind. 185 firefighters and four firefighting planes were deployed to prevent the fire from reaching nearby houses. According to the fire department, four houses were destroyed and four others damaged.
