About 940 firefighters backed by aircraft have deployed in the south of France. The “critical phase” has passed now, according to the fire service. 650 hectares of wild lands have been destroyed by fire in the southern region of France. Forestry officers have brought the inferno under control, but it was a tremendous disaster.
This statement is a paraphrase of the original: “Up to 950 firefighters backed by aircraft had deployed in the southern Gard region but the “critical phase” has now passed, said fire service spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Eric Agrinier. “For the moment, the fire is contained. This means that we don’t think it can spread anymore,” he added.”
The spokesman said they would continue to treat the edges of the fire, meter by meter, and monitor to avoid any risk of the blaze worsening with high temperatures, winds, and low humidity.
Described by emergency responders as a “mega-fire”, the blaze started near the village of Bordezac and forced evacuations from nearby Besseges and other settlements on Thursday night. Local officials said around 100 people were put up in hotels and holiday homes in the area.
A recent heatwave in June caused a 600-hectare fire. The cause of the fire was shelling on an artillery training range near Marseille, which is a port city by the Mediterranean Sea. Like large swathes of the country, southeast France has suffered from drought this year, increasing the risk of fires.
