A fire in southern France has destroyed more than 1,000 hectares
In the Landes department in southern France, a large-scale wildfire has already engulfed about 1,100 hectares of land. As the fire spread, authorities evacuated more than 500 people from dangerous areas.
The fire, which broke out in a forest in the southern department of Landes on August 13, has devastated 1,100 hectares of land, according to the prefecture.
A total of 525 people were evacuated due to the disaster. Five hundred firefighters are working at the scene.
The fire’s further spread was contained overnight thanks to cooler temperatures and higher humidity, but temperatures are expected to reach up to 36°C again during the day. The prefect stated that the next 15 hours “will be decisive.”
On Friday, extreme heat will persist in many regions of France, with daytime temperatures reaching 38–40°C. At night, in some places, the temperature did not drop below 26–27°C.
This was reported by BFMTV.
In the Gironde department of France, which has been suffering from massive wildfires for two weeks, local residents warmly welcomed Ukrainian firefighters. The Ukrainian Embassy in France shared footage showing the French expressing their gratitude to the firefighters for their help in battling the wildfires.
Ukrainian rescue workers, who are helping their French colleagues fight the massive wildfires, rescued a small roe deer. The animal was found in the middle of a scorched forest with burned legs. The firefighters provided first aid and handed it over to local volunteers.
Forest fires in southern France have not only destroyed homes but also led to the discovery of an old cache of ammunition. In the municipality of Le Porge, about 400 shells and other ammunition from World War II were found. Some of them exploded right during the fire due to the high temperatures.
