More than a thousand firefighters battle a “monstrous” forest fire that has destroyed almost seven thousand hectares of forest, in southwestern France.
The fire has been active for two days and has spread near the city of Bordeaux, forcing more than ten thousand residents to flee their homes. The president of the French fire federation, Grégory Allione, assured that it is the first time that a fire of such magnitude has been recorded. In addition, he reported that strong winds and high temperatures are making it difficult to extinguish the flames.
Through his official Twitter account, President Emmanuel Macron announced that the governments of Austria, Germany, Greece, Poland and Romania are about to send aid:
European solidarity is on the march!
France, like other European countries, has registered a wave of fires as a result of high temperatures and droughts. Even in Portugal and Spain there is a record of 1,700 deaths due to heat.
Firefighters from different European regions have traveled to France in an emergency to put out the flames. Specialized planes that are dropping water and flame retardant have also joined the firefighting efforts.
It’s the first time we’ve seen a fire like this. The flames are out of control.
– Jerome Jean, firefighter
French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne and Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin traveled to the affected area to observe the extent of the damage, reporting that Belin-Béliet is now a ghost town after last August 10, its two thousand inhabitants were completely evacuated.
The fire is so intense, it is visible from space. Experts assure that this scenario could be recreated in different parts of the world, since in recent decades the global temperature has increased by 1.2 °C and will continue to increase unless governments take strict measures to reduce emissions and polluting materials.