A terrible event has befallen the Brittany region known as Paimpont and its woodland. The firefighters are engaged in a vigorous battle against the flames, which have already destroyed 300 hectares of this forest, which is a representation of the legendary and fictional woodland of Brocéliande.
 |
| [Brocéliande forest] |
France is now dealing with many fires at the same time throughout the country, from Gironde to Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, via Drôme, Aveyron, and Brittany. Even in areas of the country that are typically less prone to wildfires than the south of France, the danger of burning has increased as a result of the widespread dryness that has pervaded the whole national territory. Brittany is now dealing with fresh fires in the regions of Finistère and Morbihan, after the loss of a portion of the Breton moor in the Monts d'Arrée in July. According to RTL, the woodland of Paimpont, which lies across the border between the east of Morbihan and the south-west of Ille-et-Vilaine, has been especially devastated by the fires. A comparison may be made between this woodland and the legendary forest of Brocéliande.
This magical location, which is mentioned often in Arthurian lore and is next to the town of Campénéac, was struck by a fire some time during the night of Thursday into Friday. 200 firemen, including reinforcements from surrounding departments and the adjacent military school of Saint-Cyr-Cotquidan, have been battling the fires since one in the morning with the assistance of two Swedish Air Tractor aircraft that were dispatched as part of the European solidarity initiative. The prefecture of Morbihan made the announcement early on Thursday morning that 300 hectares of vegetation had been destroyed.
In the interest of safety, 150 people had to be moved out of the community of Campénéac, which is situated 70 kilometers away from Rennes. Jean-Francois Gouy, the director of the departmental fire and rescue service (SDIS) of Morbihan, conducted a press conference at noon to affirm that the fire was "still not repaired." He said that the fire was "still not fixed."
" We have a wind that is spinning, which is at times fairly powerful, so many times," he said, before going on to clarify that the fire is continuing to grow "into the west, towards a wooded region." Because of the fire in the Brocéliande forest, a significant portion of the Celtic history and culture of Brittany is at jeopardy.