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WILDFIRES

1,000 firefighters battle ‘mega-fire’ in southern France

More than 1,000 firefighters backed by aircraft were deployed on Friday to battle a massive blaze in France's southern Gard region that burned 600 hectares (1,500 acres) overnight.

wildfire in Besseges France
Firefighters work to extinguish a wildfire near Besseges, southern France, in the night between July 7, 2022 and July 8, 2022. (Photo by Sylvain THOMAS / AFP)

“This fire is far from being done. There are fronts in hard-to-reach areas that we haven’t tackled and that are advancing freely,” said Eric Agrinier, a senior member of the fire service.

“It’s going to be a feat of endurance,” he added later, warning the blaze may not be brought under control until Sunday because of unfavourable weather conditions.

Working into the night after the blaze began late Thursday, firefighters set backfires to protect inhabited areas.

“We burn some parts (of the forest) so when the fire spreads it reaches an already-burned zone and slows down, that makes it easier to stop its advance,” said Jacques Pages, standing in front of a line of flames lighting up the
pitch-black forest.

Described by emergency responders as a “mega-fire”, the blaze started near the village of Bordezac and forced evacuations from nearby Besseges and other settlements on Thursday night.

The local prefect’s office said around 100 people had to be put up in holiday homes and restaurants in the area, which is about 90 kilometres (55 miles) north of Montpellier and the Mediterranean coast.

Plane dousing wildfire near Besseges in France

A picture taken near Besseges, southern France, on July 8, 2022 shows a Dash 8 Q400-MRE plane dousing wildfire.  (Photo by Sylvain THOMAS / AFP)

“I’ve been finding rooms for people and all the holiday homes are doing the same,” said Regine Marchand, manager of a restaurant in nearby Aujac, on Thursday night.

“We’ve made them pasta, people left quickly without bringing anything, but they’re keeping their spirits up, there’s a good atmosphere.”

By Friday, people’s homes were no longer in danger, with only a garage and a small hut damaged.

The Gard region fire service said Friday morning that 13 firefighters were slightly injured.

As well as personnel on the ground, two planes have been dumping water since the early morning.

On Thursday, the air deployment had stretched to 12 firefighting planes and two helicopters.

Roads were closed to traffic entering the Besseges area, while hundreds of firefighters remained on the scene, some drawn from neighbouring regions.

Drought raises risk
 Like large swathes of the country, southeast France has suffered from drought this year, increasing the risk of fires.

Firefighter trucks driving past burnt forest in France

Firefighter trucks drive past burnt forest after wildfire near Besseges, southern France, on July 8, 2022.  (Photo by Sylvain THOMAS / AFP)

During an unseasonable heatwave last month, around 600 hectares were burned in a fire started by shelling on an army artillery training range near the Mediterranean port city Marseille.

Firefighters in that Bouches-du-Rhone region were called out to 35 outbreaks on Thursday, many of them close to inhabited areas.

Four houses were destroyed near southern city Arles and 250 firefighters were called out to a brushfire in Saint-Mitre-les-Remparts.

Although several other fires began in southern France on Thursday, most were put out before nightfall.

The fire service said thousands of hectares of heavily wooded land were under threat, as winds gusting at up to 80 km/h (50 mph) fanned the flames through the dried-out trees.

Wind is “the worst enemy” of firefighters, Lieutenant Colonel Agrinier said.

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WILDFIRES

Summer wildfires in France: 48 arrested on suspicion of arson

Police have arrested 48 people for allegedly starting forest fires in France during the summer, a spokeswoman told AFP Friday, after a season marked by large, devastating blazes.

Summer wildfires in France: 48 arrested on suspicion of arson

Up to 10,000 French firefighters a day were mobilised this summer to fight fires which have ravaged more than 65,000 hectares, according to the European Forest Fire Information System — a record since the start of satellite data in 2006.

Of the 48 arrested, 12 people have already been sentenced to two years in prison, while “more than a dozen” have been remanded in custody, said national gendarmerie spokeswoman Marie-Laure Pezant.

“We found young people, minors, retirees, mostly men,” she said, adding that the suspects came from all backgrounds.

Some have “a weaker psychological profile, sometimes mental disorders,” Pezant said, adding that some of the suspects were firefighters as well.

According to the National Forestry Office, nine out of 10 fires are of human origin and, on average, three out of 10 fires are intentionally started.

France’s southwestern Gironde department – home to part of Europe’s largest coniferous forest – was particularly affected this summer, with 30,000 hectares going up in smoke.

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