PARIS, 10 August : The fires are still burning across the southeastern part of France, with several firefighters injured and tens of thousands of residents forced to evacuate. In the mountain ranges of Diois in the department of Drome the wildfires that started on Friday have not fully contained.
Three firefighters have been injured and 180 acres of land was burned, French daily newspaper Le Figaro published on Tuesday.
As as many as 240 firefighters were deployed to bring the wildfires under control.
Local authorities have stated that because of the changing winds the flames are spreading to homes further farther downhill, Xinhua news agency reported.
The aerial fire brigades were deployed on Tuesday in order to assist firefighters working on the bottom of the mountain.
In the meantime, 140 km further away in the mountains of Chartreuse in the Isere department wildfires broke out Friday because of lightning.Local news reported that 130 hectares of land was burned and three firefighters sustained injuries out of the 380 who were mobilised to battle the blaze together with the fire brigade’s aerial unit.
The wildfires aren’t stable, however no progress is reported from Tuesday’s morning, according to local authorities.In the meantime, 170 people had to be evacuated from the area on Sunday and many roads remain closed.
Further fires in the department of Lozere and Aveyron that began to spread on Monday evening ravaged more than 700 hectares of property, and more than three thousand people had to be evacuated.According to Le Figaro More than 600 firefighters were on the ground at the beginning of Tuesday.
The fire in Lozere broke out Monday evening, due to an agricultural machine scraping tar off the roadway in the Massegros city of Massegros.
The intense drought and hotwave in France have also contributed to the wildfires.
The towns of Riviere-sur-Tarn and Mostuejouls as well as campsites in Aveyron were also evacuated.
“The flames were only a only a few hundred meters away, gendarmes and firefighters arrived to tell us to evacuate, and we all were required to leave at late night,” bed and breakfast owner Gabin Castro said to Le Figaro.
According to the European Forest Information System, more than 47,000 acres of land has been destroyed in fires in France at the beginning of the year.
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