Gironde wildfire: heatwave brings renewed risk following 'uneventful' night

The major wildfire in Gironde has remained stable for the third successive night, however weather conditions today risk the blaze gaining strength.

The fire has been contained within the same perimeter since Sunday evening, impacting around 42,000 hectares of land. 

The Gironde prefecture confirmed in an update on Wednesday morning that the perimeter remains unchanged following a mostly uneventful night.

Firefighters are yet to declare the fire as under control (fixé) however as several small blazes inside the perimeter continue to spring up. 

Several that began last night were successfully tackled by firefighters, the Gironde prefecture said.

The arrival of France’s fourth heatwave today, centred in the south-west where temperatures could reach up to 40C, is unnerving for authorities. As of 08:00, state forecaster Météo France has placed 16 departments including Gironde and Landes on a level-three orange warning for heatwave conditions. 

Alongside the heat, a drop in air humidity and winds of up to 45km/h means the area is facing the ‘rule of three’: when heat is above 30C, winds stronger than 30km/h, and air humidity below 30%, forest fires are more prone to starting and more powerful. 

At least 126 firefighters have been injured fighting the blaze, with 15 arrests made in relation to the incident. 

Investigations into the fire believe the blaze started following undergrowth clearance work at a site managed by electricity grid operator Enedis. 

So far, there is nothing to suggest safety rules were not followed by workers. 

Hundreds of thousands of people remain unable to return to homes or holiday sites following mass evacuations at the end of last week and over the weekend. 

A further 4,000 people were evacuated yesterday from the coastal commune of Lacanau.

Several restrictions remain in place across the Gironde department, notably on tourist activities, holidays, and gatherings. Check the prefecture website for an update on rules. 

Train travel in the area remains disrupted, with most local TER services and high-speed TGV trains halting at Bordeaux instead of heading further south (although some trains will continue on to Toulouse). 

In some good news, authorities confirmed that dangerous and flammable materials from ‘Seveso’ sites in the area – those classified as potentially dangerous – have been removed, reducing the risk of these sites contributing to blazes spreading. Other sites have seen additional protections such as earthworks constructed to protect fires from impacting them.

Fires elsewhere brought under control

Elsewhere, a fire in the Var was declared ‘fixé’ after firefighters spent more than a week tackling it. 

Originating near Pontevès last Tuesday (July 21) the blaze spread to around 4,800 hectares and saw 5,000 people evacuated. 

While the fire has been contained, vigilance remains high – thought to be under control last week, the blaze reignited itself leading to several additional days of burning. 

More than 1,000 firefighters have worked to tackle the fire in the last week.

A 23-year-old man has been arrested in the department under the suspicion of starting several fires across the Var between July 19 and 24. 

This does not include the major fire at Pontevès but includes a number of smaller blazes around Brignoles. 

A fire in the Landes department was declared under control at the start of the week, although authorities remain on alert over the risk of new fires in the area as the ‘rule of three’ applies more widely across the south of the country. 

Around half of the 30,000 people evacuated from the town of Biscarrosse are yet to be given the all clear to return to their homes.

Elsewhere, fires in the Pyrénées, Alps, and Corsica continue to burn. The map below shows fires ongoing (red) or reported (orange) at 08:00 on Wednesday morning.

You can find the live map on feuxdeforet.fr. 

The arrival of the heatwave today means that much of France has been placed on a heightened risk for fires, with 65 departments facing a heightened alert on the risk map of state forecaster Météo France. 

By Thursday, the number of departments under heightened alert is forecast to drop to only 19.

As a reminder, the map shows the risk of fires springing up and not where blazes are already in place.