Fire in the Var: “The worst has been avoided”, according to Emmanuel Macron

Published on : 08/17/2021 – 20:34Modified : 08/17/2021 – 8:35 PM

“The worst has been avoided […] but the battle continues “, estimated, Tuesday, August 17, Emmanuel Macron, who went to the Massif des Maures (Var). The French president was accompanied by his Minister of the Interior, Gerald Darmanin, in his visit to this region in flames since Monday.

Thousands of people evacuated, an uninterrupted ballet of water bombers planes: Tuesday, the firefighters fought foot by foot against the violent fire which ravages the hinterland of Saint-Tropez (Var) and “the part is far from ‘to be won’ according to them. The fire did not cause any casualties but it was not brought under control.

“The battle continues, the fire is not fixed and stabilized, the next few hours are particularly decisive”, insisted the French head of state arrived at the end of the afternoon at the command post of Luc, near Saint -Tropez, an hour’s drive from Fort Brégançon where he has been living since early August.

The flames have traveled 6,500 hectares since Monday according to firefighters, who can not yet estimate exactly the area burned. Nine Canadairs water bombers are still circling in the Var sky and 900 firefighters are fighting foot to foot against the flames.

“There are plenty of resumptions of fire in all directions, the game is far from won. The wind has picked up, has turned a bit, and the fire is starting to hit areas not yet impacted,” said the captain of the Var fire brigade Olivier Pecot.

The French president praised the “courage” of the hundreds of firefighters, rescue forces and local elected officials engaged in the battle against the flames: “If we have this human toll, it is also thanks to you.” This fire caused no casualties among residents and tourists, “and despite three injuries, our firefighters continue to be in combat,” added the Head of State.

Several thousand people evacuated

Emmanuel Macron also wanted to thank “the mayors who showed their solidarity by welcoming our compatriots or sometimes foreign tourists who were in this area to protect them”. In total, “several thousand” people were evacuated overnight from Monday to Tuesday, he said. Evacuations which mainly concerned the hinterland of Cavalaire and Saint-Tropez, in particular around the villages of Grimaud or La Môle.

The inhabitants and firefighters of this part of the Var remain marked by the fires of the summer of 2003, in which three firefighters had perished. Colonel Éric Grohin, firefighters of Var, thus underlined that this fire took “the same corridor” as that of 2003, in “faster”, with a speed of propagation going up to 8 kilometers per hour on the relief .

The priority of the firefighters, insisted the colonel, is the defense of villages and hamlets: “With the fire swings of 700-800 meters, we can not do much except to preserve human lives and houses. “, did he declare. On Tuesday evening, nine Canadairs were still turning in the Var above the affected area.

Faced with “this first big fire of the summer campaign”, Emmanuel Macron called to “remain modest”: “We were much more spared than some of our neighbors, you saw it during the summer season”, has t he recalled, with reference to the fires that affected Greece, Italy and Algeria.

With AFP