Here are the latest developments recorded Saturday on the fronts of the fires in Europe, where forests burn all the more easily as vegetation and soils are very dry, a drought intensified by the exceptional heatwaves that have been following one another since the end of spring.
– France: Saturday “more favorable” in Landes, “the fire did not increase”
“The fire has not increased” in Landes, where the afternoon was “more favorable,” but it “is not contained and is not on the way to being contained,” announced Saturday the prefect of this department in the Southwest of France, Gilles Clavreul.
The 550 firefighters backed by four Canadairs, two Dash aircraft and a Chinook water-bomber helicopter are concentrating on a second outbreak that sprang up during the night, which “is the most virulent, with unstable edges,” he added.
– Belgium: a village threatened with evacuation, 2,000 ha burned
The village of Sourbrodt, in the east of Belgium, was threatened with evacuation Saturday, facing the risk posed by the smoke from one of the largest fires the country has known, authorities in Wallonia told AFP.
At least 2,000 hectares have burned in this fire in a nature park near Germany, according to a spokesperson for the Walloon authorities.
– Spain, two major fires still raging, but favorable outlook
A fire that has burned 15,000 ha of vegetation in Aragon, in the northeast of Spain, has forced the evacuation of about a thousand people and is still raging but authorities are betting on a slight drop in temperatures and some showers to help the 600 firefighters mobilized to fight the blaze.
In Andalusia, an emergency official, Antonio Sanz, said he could “see the beginning of the end” of the blaze in progress for eight days, which has burned 25,000 ha. “For the first time, the fire did not advance during the night,” he added.
– Balkans: fire under control in Croatia, 2,500 ha burned in Serbia
Around a hundred firefighters fought all night against a major forest fire that broke out Friday evening on the island of Dugi Otok, off Zadar, on the central coast of Croatia, threatening a large number of homes. They managed to control this pine forest and scrub fire after reinforcement on Saturday morning of two Canadairs, authorities said.
– Serbia: a fire spreads over 2,500 hectares
This fire has been raging for several days in the Deliblatska pescara nature reserve, about fifty kilometers from Belgrade, where about 300 firefighters, soldiers and members of various services are deployed, according to the government.
– Greece: maximum alert
Firefighters remain on maximum alert this Saturday in Greece, where the risk of fire remains very high in several regions of the country due to strong winds.
More than fifty agro-forestry fires were reported in the last 24 hours, most of which were quickly brought under control, according to the firefighters.
