During a press conference on Wednesday evening, local authorities spoke of a “zealous fight” against the fire, which the fire service “is able to surprise again and again.” “It’s like we’re dealing with a monster that has brains and behaves tactically,” a spokesman told France’s Sud Ouest about the fire.
A fire chief explains to Le Monde that the conflagration has spread in all directions. Particularly around the French town of Belin-Béliet, more than 40 kilometers from Bordeaux, sharp rises in temperature “have exploded the intensity of the fire.”
human lives
No civilian was injured in the fire and authorities insist that “saving human lives is the priority.” Several firefighters were injured while fighting the fire. One is in serious condition, “with burns on the legs and face.” Seventeen houses and two fire trucks have gone up in flames, Le Monde writes.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Wednesday that he believes the fire was started by criminals. A massive forest fire also raged in the area in July. Then 21,000 hectares of forest burned and nearly 37,000 people had to be evacuated.
Since Wednesday, the forest fire has also closed the A63 motorway, an important car route from Bordeaux to the Spanish border at Hendaye.