LIVE – Fire in the Var: thousands of people evacuated, three slightly injured – LCI

INSTRUCTIONS

In its latest update on the Gonfaron forest fire, the Var prefecture warned that “people evacuated during the night should absolutely not return to their homes or their vacation spots” but “to stay in the rooms they have been assigned. available by the municipalities. “

In addition, unless there is an overriding reason, it is not possible to travel by car between Bormes-les-Mimosas and the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, in both directions.

“OUR PRIORITY IS TO FIX”

“When you have a fire in free propagation, the will is to fix it, that is to say to stop it and to know in which zone we can work on this fire”, underlined this Tuesday on LCI Alexandre Jouassard, spokesperson for civil security. “Then it is to circumscribe it, to master, and once we are on this capacity, then we will pass on a flooding action”, he detailed, specifying that “we are still far from it. since there are still axes and blanks in progression “.

CREEKS

The mistral that arrived in Provence on Monday fed several other fires at the entrance to the Calanques National Park near Marseille, and on the Giens peninsula, in the Var, but these fires were brought under control.

IN THE REST OF THE WORLD

While many Mediterranean countries were affected by serious fires this summer – Greece, Italy, Algeria, Spain, Morocco – France and in particular Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur, usually badly affected in summer, had been relatively untouched so far. But this fire should be one of the most important of the season in the region

SERIOUS INJURIES

“We are delighted this morning that the human toll is not important”, reacted this Tuesday on LCI Alexandre Jouassard, spokesperson for civil security, specifying that “this is also explained by the action of these fire specialists of forest which were predisposed on the ground. “

“We had two serious injuries after the explosion of a gas cylinder but which was not linked to the evacuations or to a catch by fire” he said, adding that “means were also surrounded by flames “.

THE GUARD-BRAKE AND SAVED

The Var firefighters, helped by colleagues from the departments of the Southeast, fought all night: “We managed to prevent the fire from touching La Garde-Freinet during the night”, a village about twenty kilometers from Saint-Tropez, explained Commander Vienco. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin is expected in the area during the day.

22 KILOMETERS

According to the last assessment communicated on Twitter by the firefighters of the Var, the flames had traveled 22 km since Monday.

“A VERY DIFFICULT FIGHT”

“The fire is very large, it is a very difficult fight”, insisted this morning the commander of the firefighters Delphine Vienco, stressing “unfavorable conditions, with a strong wind and high temperatures”, even if the heat wave alert has now been lifted in the Var and the Alpes-Maritimes.

REQUISITIONED GYMNASES

The people were sheltered in municipal halls in the region, in particular in Bormes-les-Mimosas, near the summer residence of President Emmanuel Macron at Fort Brégançon. In this town, around 1,200 people are accommodated in gymnasiums and colleges, according to the town hall.

SIX EVACUATED CAMPSITES

In a point at 6 a.m., the prefecture of Var confirmed the evacuation of six campsites in the municipalities of Gassin, La Croix Valmer and Grimaud, and requested “not to clutter the roads around the Gulf of Saint-Tropez” to let the emergency services work.

CITIES CONCERNED

The evacuations of inhabitants and tourists took place in the hinterland of Cavalaire and Saint-Tropez, in particular around the villages of Grimaud or La Môle. These areas are not densely populated but many tourists stayed in campsites.

ANIMALS

“The Plaine des Maures nature reserve has been half devastated. It’s a disaster, because it is one of the last spots sheltering Hermann’s turtle”, explains Concha Agero, deputy director of the French Biodiversity Office, hoping that these animals will have been able to bury themselves underground to protect themselves.

FIRE NOT CONTROLLED

“The fire is still not under control at the present time”, specifies a person in charge of the communication of the firefighters at the command post installed in the town of Luc (Var). The firefighters fear that the disaster will intensify during the day: due to the high temperatures and the mistral, “the flames progressed at 4 km / hour whereas usually it is 1 km per hour”.

NO VICTIM

“Thousands of people have been evacuated as a preventive measure, but there are no casualties. Some 750 firefighters are fighting against this fire which is still very virulent”, said Tuesday morning a spokeswoman for the firefighters of the Var, while thousands of hectares have already been covered by the flames, without the burnt surface being able to be assessed yet.

URGENT

Thousands of people including tourists in campsites, were evacuated preventively in the Var in the face of a violent forest fire fought by hundreds of firefighters since Monday in the hinterland of Saint-Tropez.