France wildfires update: Drôme fire reignites as lightning sparks new blazes
Firefighters remain on alert as dozens of departments face high risk
A wildfire in south-east France reignited on Sunday morning after burning 320 hectares since it started on August 3, while 37 departments face a high risk of forest fires.
More than 400 firefighters remain deployed against the blaze in the Claps massif near Bellegarde-en-Diois, Drôme, where two significant flare-ups were reported on Sunday (August 9).
Drôme fire reignites
The fire, which started on Monday, had been stable overnight before two major flare-ups were detected from around 10:00 on Sunday, according to the Drôme prefecture.
The blaze has so far burned 320 hectares, with about 400 firefighters still working to contain it.
The department is under an orange heatwave warning, with high temperatures increasing the risk of further fire activity.
Lightning sparks fires in Gironde
More than 500 lightning strikes were recorded in Gironde during the night of Saturday to Sunday, according to local authorities.
Around 10 fires were reported as a result.
A house in Lacanau was destroyed by fire after a lightning strike, with no injuries reported.
Another fire broke out at the Captieux military camp. It burned about 20 hectares and was brought under control (fixé) at around 11:00 on Sunday.
The fire was particularly difficult to tackle because firefighters could not enter the affected area due to the possible presence of military ordnance.
Specialist crews instead carried out tactical burning between the fire and existing firebreaks to remove vegetation that could fuel its spread.
37 departments face high fire risk
Fire risk remains high across large parts of France, with 37 departments classified as being at high risk of forest fires on Sunday.
The alerts come as France faces an exceptionally severe wildfire season, with more than 115,000 hectares already burned across the country.
Stéphane Lessire-Mesbah, a union representative for Sud Sdis 89 in the Yonne, said firefighters were facing a lack of resources as climate change increases the threat from wildfires.
France needs "a real minister who manages civil security", he told franceinfo on Sunday.
"The state is not taking the money out of its budget that we need" to deal with climate change, he said, adding that it was causing firefighters "a great deal of harm".
Police and gendarmes have arrested 375 people across France this summer over suspected involvement in starting fires, including 142 minors.
