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Wildfires reignite in south western France forcing residents to leave homes

Wildfires have reignited in the south western France amid unseasonably high temperatures leaving over one 1,300 hectares burned and forcing residents to evacuate their homes.

Published: 13 September 2022 09:21 CEST
Wildfires reignite in south western France forcing residents to leave homes
Firefighters are at work to protect houses threatened by a wildfire in Saumos near Bordeaux, southwestern France, on September 12, 2022. (Photo by PHILIPPE LOPEZ / AFP)

As parts of southern France bake under record-high temperatures for September, forest fires reignited again in the south west, causing at least 1,300 hectares to burn and forced residents to leave their homes.

A smaller wildfire outside Dax, which is to the south of Bordeaux, burned an additional 45 hectares.

The blazes forced 540 residents in the town of Saumos, located in France’s Gironde département, to be evacuated. Four homes were destroyed.

The fires started on Monday afternoon, but strong winds and unfavourable weather conditions made it difficult for the 340 firefighters working through the night to contain the flames.

READ MORE: MAP: Where are the main wildfires in France right now?

Significant air resources were also deployed, including two Canadair planes, two helicopters and a Dash plane.

Images of the firefighting effort can be seen below:

“The winds are turning, and the town that is beginning to be surrounded by flames. Firefighters a little overwhelmed because it is coming from all sides. We are still in the process of evacuating sectors” said the mayor of Saumos to BFMTV on Tuesday morning.

Local authorities for the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and Gironde département released the update below on Tuesday morning, stating that the fire was continuing to burn:

An investigation was also opened to determine the origin of the new flames, as gendarmes in Gironde consider the possibility it was caused by arson.

The wildfires broke out as several towns across south west France recorded record high temperatures for the month of September, with heat brought on by a post-tropical cyclone off the coast of Portugal. On Monday, Bordeaux recorded 37.5C – a peak for September that has not been seen since 1987.

Temperatures were expected to remain around 30C in the Bordeaux area on Tuesday, though the heat was expected to begin dissipating mid-week as rain and storms roll in across the region.

READ MORE: September temperature records broken in France amid new heatwave

Throughout the dry summer – France’s second hottest on record – the south west was affected by major fires that burned over 30,000 hectares in La Teste-de-Buch and Landiras.

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TRAVEL NEWS

French bank to fund extra 10,000 electric vehicle chargers

A unit of France's national development bank said on Monday it had teamed up with an operator of electric vehicle rechargers to finance the deployment of nearly 10,000 points at businesses switching their fleets of vehicles.

Published: 8 April 2024 12:11 CEST
French bank to fund extra 10,000 electric vehicle chargers

The Banque des Territoires, a subsidiary of France’s Caisse des Depots, said it would create a joint venture with Bump that would receive €100 million in investments to help companies shift to electric vehicles.

Installing charging stations requires a considerable investment for companies considering switching their vehicle fleets to electric.

The joint venture would finance the installation of Bump charging stations at company premises with the firms paying just for their use.

The first beneficiaries of the financing of EV chargers will be DPD logistics firm, as well as supermarket chains U and Monoprix.

Bump also provides companies with access to over 100,000 charging points across France, along with badges for tolls and parking garages.

“This collaboration with the Caisse des Depots represents a significant advance in our mission to assist companies in sustainable transitions of their fleets of professional vehicles,” Bump’s chief executive Francois Oudot said.

Bump aims to become the leader in corporate charging stations, as well as those deployed by retail chains for use by their clients, by installing 25,000 by 2030.

France’s state-owned electricity company EDF announced in February it had teamed up with infrastructure firm Morrison to build nearly 8,000 rapid charging stations in public parking lots between now and 2030.

That would nearly double the estimated 9,500 rapid charging points currently in operation in France.

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