The Prime Minister of France, Sébastien Lecornu, warned this afternoon that the fire situation in the southwest of the country, especially in the Gironde department, has once again reached a “critical point” after a morning of truce due to the sudden gusts of wind that began to hit the region after noon.
The current number of evacuees is still around 170,000 people in Gironde, where the fire has consumed almost 33,000 hectares, and Landes, the culmination of a disastrous historical record in the country, where some 200,000 hectares have been devastated by flames since the beginning of the year.
Gironda is of great concern to the French Government, as Lecornu has acknowledged on social networks after the last emergency inter-ministerial meeting this afternoon.
“The sudden change in meteorological conditions that occurred yesterday has profoundly modified the dynamics of the fire. After a slight improvement tonight and this morning, the forecasts are again unfavorable. The next few hours could be difficult,” he warned.
The prime minister has reported that firefighter ground resources have been “massively redeployed” to the southwest to concentrate efforts where the situation is most critical. There are already some 1,400 firefighters, 1,500 soldiers and 1,700 internal security forces in the area.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has appeared on social networks to send a strong message of encouragement. “At this time when the flames are testing our country, France reveals its true character: a united people, shoulder to shoulder,” the president declared.
“Thank you to our firefighters, military, civil security forces, gendarmes and police, as well as the farmers and businessmen who, with their commitment and bravery, fight tirelessly against fires,” he added.
Macron has taken the opportunity to applaud the European solidarity exhibited during this fire crisis in both France and Spain. The French affected communities “can count on this unwavering support thanks to the invaluable support of Romania, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.”
“This is Europe. In difficult times, it demonstrates the solidarity on which it is based. Our thoughts are also with Spain, Italy, Greece and all the peoples fighting the fires,” Macron added.