It has been reported that the fires in the Gironde area, which have already wiped out 6,000 hectares of woodland and are still spreading, have reached very high temperatures. The fires are being fought by more than a thousand firemen at the moment.
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| [Gironde fire, France] |
The Gironde area in the southwestern part of France is being ravaged by an enormous wildfire, which has caused the destruction of houses and the evacuation of hundreds of citizens, some of whom had clambered onto roofs as the flames neared. More than a thousand firemen are now battling the flames that have already destroyed more than 6,000 hectares of pine forest and are continuing to spread. Additionally, more than 6,000 people have been forced to evacuate their houses in order to protect themselves from the fire.
As the fire spread across the town of Hostens, the police went door to door informing inhabitants that they needed to evacuate as quickly as possible. Camille Delay made her escape together with her boyfriend and kid, taking with her the family's two cats, her hens, and the paperwork related to her homeowner's insurance policy. The man, who is 30 years old, told Reuters that all of the locals walked up to the roofs to observe what was happening. "Within 10 minutes, a tiny puff of smoke grew enormous," the man said. According to the firefighters, there will most likely be further evacuations. On the other hand, a number of people living in Hostens were unwilling to leave their houses. Allisson Horan, who is 18 years old and remained with her father, claimed that taking the dogs with them would be difficult and that they could not be left behind. "I'm concerned due to the fact that the
The heat waves that have been sweeping over Europe this summer are responsible for starting a number of fires, including the Gironde fire. Some regions on the continent have seen record high temperatures as a result of these heat waves. Since Saturday, more than 3,000 hectares of forest have been consumed by a fire that has been raging in the hilly regions of Covilha, which is located 280 kilometers north-east of Lisbon. Nearly 1,200 firemen have been battling the blaze, which has been backed by eight aircraft. In recent weeks, Spain and Greece have also been plagued by a large number of fires.
Large fires broke out in the Gironde region in the month of July, and they were responsible for the loss of more than 20,000 hectares of forest and the displacement of approximately 40,000 people. The authorities are of the impression that the most recent fire is the consequence of prior flames that are still burning in the peaty soil of the region. Additionally, fires broke out in the departments of Lozere and Aveyron located in the south. Another fire was responsible for the destruction of more than 1,200 hectares of land in the department of Maine and Loire in western France.