But their work is far from over as the flames – which have already consumed more than 19,000 hectares (190 square kilometers) of forest and forced thousands of people to flee – continue to ravage southwestern France. “This is really, really, really a catastrophic spread with a very high flame with intense heat,” Lassoureille, a captain at Service Départemental d’Incendie et de Secours (SDIS) 33 in Bordeaux, told As It Happens guest host David Cochrane. . “We need all our strength to fight and keep our minds in the right direction, to make the necessary choice to fight and win against the elements.” Since July 12, more than 2,000 firefighters and 10 water-bombing planes have been working around the clock to contain two huge fires in the Landiras and La Teste-de-Buch forests in the Gironde region of France. Thick clouds of smoke and the risk of flames spreading to buildings forced the evacuation of more than 39,000 people, including 16,000 on Monday, according to Gironde authorities. he told the Associated Press. A smaller third fire broke out late Monday in the Medoc wine region north of Bordeaux, further straining regional firefighting resources.
Extreme weather conditions fuel the fire
According to Lassoureille, this year’s combination of extreme heat, low humidity and swirling winds contributed to the rapid spread of the flames. “We [are] used to fight fire, but never like this,” he said. “Every year, we have a lot of forest fires. But this one, we have very, very specific and unique fires, [with] such a dynamic and spread of fire that we have never, ever known before in our own region.’ This photo, provided by the fire service SDIS 33, shows an aerial view of the Pyla dune at Pyla sur Mer, near Arcachon, southwest France, on July 20. Five campsites burned in the area and thousands of people have left the area due to the spreading fire. (SDIS 33/The Associated Press) And thanks to a changing climate, these scorching conditions are becoming more common. “The combination of historically low humidity, very high temperature and rotating winds is specific. But what we can say is that we encounter this condition really regularly,” Lassoureille said. Like elsewhere in Europe, France is experiencing a record heatwave, with temperatures in Paris exceeding 40 degrees last week for the third time since record-keeping began, according to Meteo France. Southwest of Bordeaux, the fire is spreading to Arcachon Bay, an area famous for oysters and beach resorts. Approaching flames forced the emergency evacuation Monday of 363 animals from a local zoo, where about 10 animals died from heat and stress, the government’s Ecological Transition Ministry said Tuesday. Five campsites were also engulfed in flames in the area, Gironde authorities said. More than 2,000 firefighters and water-bombing aircraft are battling 2 huge forest fires in the Gironde region of south-west France. (Philippe Lopez/AFP via Getty Images) Lassoureille said firefighters are working with local foresters to contain the fire. The community around Bordeaux, where he is located, has also stepped up to help with the evacuation process. “All the people in the region around Bordeaux [are] pledged to give some support,” he said. Despite devoting all available resources to extinguishing the Gironde fires, Lassoureille says it is unclear how much longer the fight will last under the current conditions. And the work won’t stop at putting out the fire. “We’re going to have a very, very long time … to deal with all the fire [perimeters] to prevent new fires in these places and to ensure that the population returns to their homes, safely,” he said. Residents of more than half a dozen towns and villages in the Gironde region were ordered to evacuate because of the fires. Written by Olsy Sorokina with files from The Associated Press. Interview with Rémi Lassoureille produced by Arman Agbali.
