37,000 people evacuated in France as third wildfire breaks out
People gather at Moulleau beach as the smoke rises from the forest fire in La Teste-de-Buch, south west France, on July 18.
A third wildfire has broken out in the Gironde region of western France, prompting the evacuation of 500 more people, according to the prefecture of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Gironde.
After a “very difficult night” the prefecture tweeted on Tuesday morning a total of 19,300 hectares had already been burned by the two other fires in the Gironde.
A total of 37,000 people have been evacuated due to the three fires, the prefecture said, adding that more than 2,000 firefighters are deployed to fight the blazes.
The latest fire in the Vensac commune of Gironde had burned 70 hectares by Tuesday morning, according to the prefecture.
None of the fires have been resolved, according to Commandant Matthieu Jomain, spokesperson of the Gironde Fire and Rescue Service.
CNN affiliate BFMTV reported Tuesday morning that the city of Bordeaux, situated within the Gironde region, woke up to “thick smoke and a strong smell of burning” on Tuesday morning.
Jomain asked members of the public to refrain from calling the fire service over the smoke, as there is “no risk to the population” of Bordeaux. He said there had been several thousand calls related to the smoke during the night.
Vincent Ferrier, sub-prefect of Langon in the Gironde region, addressing journalists Tuesday morning, spoke of firefighters saving buildings from the fire in the Guillos commune when the flames were “at the door of the buildings.” In all, only one building had been destroyed by the fire, he added.
According to French meteorological agency Meteo-France, no region of France is under a red weather alert Tuesday, although 73 regions are under an orange warning.
Meteo-France warned of a risk Tuesday of wildfires breaking out in the south of France due to strong “mistral” winds and areas suffering severe droughts, particularly in the Rhone valley.
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