Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

WILDFIRES

10,000 campers forced to flee forest fire in France

UPDATED: A new wild fire broke out in the south of France on Monday afternoon which forced authorities to evacuate three campsites where 10,000 holidaymakers had been staying.

Published: 27 July 2015 16:58 CEST
10,000 campers forced to flee forest fire in France
Fires have been spreading through France this summer. Photo: AFP
 
 
The blaze ravaged around 30 hectares of land near the town of Frejus in the Var département of southern France.
 
It broke out on the Bagnols-en-Forêt road around the Pin de la Lègue estate in the early afternoon, and saw around 200 firefighters, 50 fire trucks, and water planes mobilized.
 
Not wanting to take any chances authorities decided to evacuate three campsites where 10,000 holidaymakers had been enjoying their summer vacation.
 
The camp sites were the luxury cabins at the Holiday Green (3,000 people), as well as Pin de la Lègue (5,500) and Pierre Verte (1,500).
 
Darren West, a 48-year-old Brit on a camping holiday at the Pin de la Lègue site, said that he hardly had time to react after seeing smoke rise above the trees in the early afternoon. 
 
“The speed was the most shocking thing. There was smoke in the air and then almost immediately we saw flames that were 15 feet high [4.6 metres] right by the main gate of the campsite,” he told The Local. 
 
“There was no doubt it was a full blown fire.”
 
He said what followed was several minutes of confusion and anxiety as the 5,500 campers were told to head away from the exit gate to avoid the flames. 
 
“There was a gridlock – and that's when the panic and anxiety kicked in. We saw several caravans on fire as we drove away,” he added.
 
West said he had no time to take his belongings, and can only hope they remain back at the camp when he gets back there on Tuesday after staying in nearby Frejus. 
 
A camper at another site appeared to have been left in the dark during the evacuation, taking to social media to seek answers (below).
 
 
It appears that the Pin de la Legue was the worst hit of the campsites, with a spokesperson at the nearby Holiday Green telling The Local that theirs was a very calm evacuation.
 
“We evacuated the property well in advance, at around 2.30pm,” she said.
 
“Everything is fine, there was no panic, and it was carried out calmly. We are telling clients that they can come back at around 7pm.”

 
(The fire struck near the south coast of France, west of Cannes. Photo: GoogleMaps)
 
Meanwhile, another fire has been raging for four days to the west of Bordeaux, with the homes of 1,000 people evacuated. Over 600 firefighters have been fighting the blaze, which began on Friday and looks set to keep firefighters busy for days to come. 
 
This summer has been a particularly hot one for France and left many areas in drought.
 
A crisis water restriction level was issued last week for several areas, seen in red in the map above, meaning that farmers have to put a stop to any unscheduled withdrawals from levies, and that only priority water use can be undertaken (for health, sanitation, or drinking).
 
July's heatwave, which claimed the lives of 700 people, has also affected tourists and climbers in the French Alps, where authorities have warned that there are risks of avalanches on Mont Blanc as the warm temperatures soften the snow pack.
 
(A firefighter on the scene at the fire near Bordeaux. Photo: AFP)

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

WILDFIRES

France gets help from EU neighbours as wildfires rage

Firefighting teams and equipment from six EU nations started to arrive in France on Thursday to help battle a spate of wildfires, including a fierce blaze in the parched southwest that has forced thousands to evacuate.

Published: 12 August 2022 08:48 CEST
France gets help from EU neighbours as wildfires rage

Most of the country is sweltering under a summer heatwave compounded by a record drought – conditions most experts say will occur more often as a result of rapid climate change.

“We must continue, more than ever, our fight against climate disruption and … adapt to this climate disruption,” Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said after arriving at a fire command post in the village of Hostens, south of Bordeaux.

The European Commission said four firefighting planes would be sent to France from Greece and Sweden, as well as teams from Austria, Germany, Poland and Romania.

“Our partners are coming to France’s aid against the fires. Thank you to them. European solidarity is at work!” President Emmanuel Macron tweeted.

“Across the country over 10,000 firefighters and security forces are mobilised against the flames… These soldiers of fire are our heroes,” he said.

In total, 361 foreign firefighters were  dispatched to assist their 1,100 French colleagues deployed in the worst-hit part of the French southwest.

A first contingent of 65 German firefighters, followed by their 24 vehicles, arrived Thursday afternoon and were to go into action at dawn Friday, officials said.

Among eight major fires currently raging, the biggest is the Landiras fire in the southwest Gironde department, whose forests and beaches draw huge tourist crowds each summer.

It had already burned 14,000 hectares (35,000 acres) in July – the driest month seen in France since 1961 – before being contained, but it continued to smoulder in the region’s tinder-dry pine forests and peat-rich soil.

Since flaring up again Tuesday, which officials suspect may have been caused by arson, it has burned 7,400 hectares, destroyed or damaged 17 homes, and forced 10,000 people to quit their homes, said Lieutenant Colonel Arnaud Mendousse of the Gironde fire and rescue service.

Borne said nine firefighting planes are already dumping water on the blaze, with two more to be in service by the weekend.

“Gigantic”
“We battled all night to stop the fire from spreading, notably to defend the village of Belin-Beliet,” Mendousse told journalists in Hostens.

On several houses nearby, people hung out white sheets saying: “Thank you for saving our homes” and other messages of support for the weary fire battalions.

“You’d think we’re in California, it’s gigantic… And they’re used to forest fires here but we’re being overwhelmed on all sides — nobody could have expected this,” Remy Lahlay, a firefighter deployed near Hostens in the Landes de Gascogne natural park, told AFP.

With temperatures in the region hitting nearly 40C on Thursday and forecast to stay high until at least Sunday, “there is a very serious risk of new outbreaks” for the Landiras fire, the prefecture of the Gironde department said.

Acrid smoke has spread across much of the southwestern Atlantic coast and its beaches that draw huge crowds of tourists each summer, with the regional ARS health agency “strongly” urging people to wear protective face masks.

The smoke also forced the closing of the A63 motorway, a major artery toward Spain, between Bordeaux and Bayonne.

The government has urged employers to allow leaves of absence for volunteer firefighters to help fight the fires.

Meanwhile, in Portugal, more than 1,500 firefighters were also battling a fire that has raged for days in the mountainous Serra da Estrela natural park in the centre of the country.

It has already burned 10,000 hectares, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).

SHOW COMMENTS