Massive fires ‘under control’ in southern France
BORMES-LES-MIMOSAS: Huge fires that forced mass evacuations of residents and holidaymakers in southern France were being brought under control on Thursday, firefighters said, although they warned new blazes were still starting.
As firefighters in France fought for a fourth day to put out the flames, the situation was improving in central Portugal where fires had raged across large areas of tinder-dry forest on Wednesday.
Parts of southern Europe are experiencing a scorching summer, leaving forests and bushland highly vulnerable to fire.
In the French village of Bormes-lesMimosas, near beaches popular with tourists on the Cote d’Azur, fires that led to the evacuation of 10,000 people overnight on Tuesday were largely extinguished.
“The fire is not completely under control but we are winning the fight,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Bernier, the civil security officer leading the emergency effort in the village.
Of those forced to flee, 1,500 spent a second night in emergency accommodation centres in Bormesles-Mimosas and hundreds of people chose to sleep on the beach rather than return to their campsites.
In the neighbouring Bouches-duRhone region, three major fires were also under control or being dampened down on Thursday, firefighters said.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe visited an emergency shelter in Bormes-les-Mimosas on Wednesday and paid tribute to the efforts of firefighters.
Over 6,000 troops, soldiers and civil security officials are involved in efforts to put out the flames, backed up by 19 planes that have made more than 500 drops of water on the burning trees and bushes.
Italy responded to France’s call for help, sending a water-bombing plane which began work on Thursday.
More than 7,000 hectares of pine forest and bushes have been burned in southern France and on the island of Corsica.
Portugal was also battling forest fires that cut off roads in the centre of the country and forced thousands to flee just a month after deadly blazes left more than 60 people dead.
More than 3,000 firefighters — more than a quarter of the country’s total — helped bring the fires under control, focusing their efforts on the biggest blaze in Serta, in the Castelo Branco region.