Fires are rampaging uncontrollably in the Gironde region of southwestern France on Tuesday. Photo: AP
A very difficult night of fierce fighting with fires in the Gironde, where 20,000 hectares have already been burned and have more than 2,000 firefighters at the forefront of the fire in France. There is a mega fire in Landiras, with the entire city evacuated, never seen before. Evacuations continue as smoke reaches Bordeaux.
The fires and this unusual heatwave in France are the best example of climate change that doesn’t stop. Today the measures to counter it are delayed by the lack of energy, due to the war in Ukraine.
Firefighters came from all over France to put out two huge fires in the Gironde. On the Dune of Pilat 5,000 people had to evacuate on Tuesday night, because five of the campsites were 90% burnt..
“Against the firefighters, critical weather conditions, extreme temperatures and drought complicate the fight,” said Eric Brocardi, spokesman for the French National Federation of Firefighters. “There are many difficulties now,” he confessed.
The flames ravage a forest in Landiras, Gironde, in southwestern France, this Monday. Photo: AFP
Extreme temperatures: photos of the sweltering heatwave across much of Europe
The chairman of the Gironde departmental council has asked for more Canadair planes to fight the fire.
“We need more Canadair on site. We have already seen it in Corsica, where they are permanently, because it is an island. They targeted the nascent fires and were extremely effective, ”she explained.
historical sign
The fires have also spread to Brittany and Morbihan while the “canicula”, the heat wave that is hitting the country, is heading east. About 1,400 hectares of vegetation burned in the Montes de Arres, in the Finisterre region, and 500 people were evacuated.
Thousands of people have their holidays ruined by evacuations and fire-ravaged camping sites in the Gironde, a highly touristy area right now. The mythical campsite on the Flot Bleu dune, which made Franck Dubosc’s film Camping famous, has been swallowed up by appeals.
For the first time in its history, the French Atlantic coast was hit by a heat wave in which temperatures on Monday exceeded 40 degrees, as in Rennes and Quiberon. Those departments keep doing it red alert this Tuesday. The mood could lighten Wednesday.
Monday was the hottest day in French history.. The average temperature in 30 stations across the country averaged 28 degrees.
On Tuesday a fire-ravaged campsite in Gironde, in southeastern France. Photo: AFP
The “red alert” rises in the Atlantic area and moves towards Paris, where rain is expected, and the East. The thermometer began to drop in Brest, La Rochelle or Nantes, where the temperature reached 40 degrees. It now fluctuates between 28 and 32 degrees.
evacuated animals
Faced with the sweltering heat, vets, specialists and firefighters organized one of the most difficult evacuations. A little before six on Monday night, a thousand animals They left for Bordeaux: from lions to rhinos with their young, but also Amazonian parrots, macaws and condors, under the scorching heat and smoke, only a few animals could not survive the extreme heat and stress.
The fires have devastated the wild animals of the Gironde: from deer to wild boar and turtles are dead, burned in their habitat.
The smoke from the fires has already reached Correze, where President François Hollande lives. They recommend “not opening windows and limiting exits”.
Another fire broke out in Avignon, caused by sparks from the passage of the TGV train in the Montagnette massif, south of the city. At least 500 firefighters, 140 fire trucks, three helicopters and a Canadair are fighting to contain it.
On Monday, a group of tourists watched the smoke from forest fires on the dune of Pilat, near La Teste, in southwestern France. Photo: AFP
Do not go out
Half of France will continue to suffer from this scorching heat wave throughout Tuesday. They advise not to go out, practice telework and stay hydrated.
“Unfortunately we will have to take radical measures to preserve the environment. We are unable to implement public policies, ”said Parisian environmental lawmaker Sandrine Rousseau. “They must be applied in a radical and immediate way,” she assured.
90 percent of the fires are caused by human activities in France. Citizen education will be essential to preserve the environment.
President Emmanuel Macron is preparing a visit to the fire brigade area in Gironde on Wednesday.
Record in Great Britain
The British broke the historical temperature record this Tuesday: 40 degrees. This was announced by the Met Office, which asked people to stay indoors afterwards the hottest night on record. At least 12 people died as a result of the heatwave in the kingdom.
Train passengers have to forget to travel due to the dilation of the tracks and the inability to operate them. Who goes from London to the north will not be able to travel because there was no train service this Tuesday morning. The same problems have military bases and airports, like Lutton, because their traces melt away.
On Tuesday, sweltering heat in front of the Tower of London. Photo: AP
Soldiers in uniform and with their classic hats in royal palaces have a fan in front of them that protects them from collapse.
“Plan your day. Extreme heat. Bring water! the signs on the route recommend.
The Met Office says the temperature will rise to 41 degrees, making Britain a warmer place than Jamaica, the Curses and Barbados.
A man was found unconscious and died in the water on the British Isle of White. Rescuers saved the teenagers from drowning in the sea.
171 schools were closed and hospitals canceled operations because operating theaters turned into an oven. Specialists recommend not going to the beach or exercising on Tuesday. The London subways have closed lines, due to the expansion of the tracks due to the heat.
Paris, correspondent
CB
Maria Laura Avignolo
Source: Clarin
