Fire in Brittany’s mythical ‘King Arthur forest’ has been halted

A wildfire that has been burning through a forest in Brittany that is often associated with legendary tales of King Arthur and Merlin, has “stopped spreading”, the prefect of Morbihan has said.

The fire was close to the commune of Campénéac in the department of Morbihan, on the doorstep of the the Forêt de Paimpont, which is rumoured to also be the mythical forêt de Brocéliande from Arhurian tales.

Pascal Bolot said in a press conference this morning (August 13) that the fire covered around 600 hectares and had burned around 400.

“At present, the fire is not completely extinguished but it has stopped spreading,” Mr Bolot said.

Around 150 people had to be evacuated from their homes on Friday due to the fire. The head of firefighters in Morbihan, Jean-François Gouy, said this morning there was a “strong possibility” they would be able to return home today.

There have been no injuries.

The forêt de Paimpont has long been linked to the forêt de Brocéliande, which is said to have been the scene of many of the adventures of the legendary Celtic King Arthur and his knights of the round table, as well as the fabled wizard Merlin.

You can read more about the legend in our article here: Megaliths and mega-myths.

France has been facing a series of wildfires this summer, caused by a combination of high temperatures, drought conditions and, in some cases, illegal or irresponsible behaviour by people.

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