So far, 6,200 hectares of forest have caught fire in France’s western Gironde due to a fire that broke out again in the province on Tuesday. In addition, about 10,000 people were forced to leave their homes and several roads to Spain were closed, international news agencies reported on Thursday. Wildfires are still spreading, including towards the land area further south.
Read also: The fire ate quickly among the pines of the Gironde, Partly due to monoculture
And the local authorities, during a press conference on Wednesday evening, spoke of a “zealous fight” against the fire, which “firefighters have always been surprised.” A fire chief called the fire a “brained monster” and said the fire was spreading “in all directions”. The fire can spread quickly in the Gironde, which already suffered major wildfires in July, due to the flammability of pine trees and monocultures – one type of tree in rows next to each other.
France has been ravaging forest fires for weeks, due to a severe drought caused by temperatures reaching 40 degrees. More than 57,000 hectares have caught fire so far. This is about six times the annual average in 2006-2021. According to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanen, Italy and Sweden are planning to help France fight the fire.
In many European countries, forest fires have caused major problems due to the constant heat and drought. In Portugal, about 1,200 firefighters managed to battle a forest fire on Wednesday that has been raging since Saturday, destroying more than 3,000 hectares. Neighboring Spain and Greece, as well as European countries to the north such as the United Kingdom, Germany and the Czech Republic, are suffering from major wildfires this summer.
Also view this photo series about In the wake of previous wildfires In Europe this year
