A fire has been reported in the commune of Bédenac in the Charente-Maritime department.
The fire brigade are on their way.
450 firefighters from across the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region are at the scene, supported by one Canadair aircraft and the Civil Protection’s Dragon 17.
Photo: Jo Han
Friday 6 September – 12.00: Despite the presence of fumaroles, the fire has been under control since Thursday evening. It covers an area of 205 hectares.
A further 80 firefighters from Charente-Maritime are on site to tackle the smoke plumes and complete the flooding operation.
Thursday 5 September – 6.00 pm: The fire is now under control; around 205 hectares of vegetation and pine forest have been burnt, and a large number of personnel are still on site to spend the night there.
Reinforcements from outside the department have been withdrawn and redeployed to a new fire that has broken out 15 km from Bénedac.
Thursday 5 September-10.00 : Update from the Charente-Maritime Prefecture:
Following an aerial survey, the extent of the damage is estimated at 170 hectares of burnt forest. At this stage, two fire pockets are still active and numerous plumes of smoke remain visible. Stronger winds are forecast for early in the day.
The situation requires a significant deployment of firefighters, who are carrying out dousing operations to prevent the fire from reigniting. Fire-clearing machinery is being deployed with the support of the local council and private companies. Aerial resources will be deployed this morning to contain the fire by dropping fire retardant.
17 forest fire teams are currently deployed, namely:
- 400 firefighters from Charente-Maritime and the regional fire and rescue services (SDIS) across the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, along with more than 100 vehicles, were deployed.
- A firefighter was affected by the smoke.
- 20 police officers have been deployed.
The departmental operations centre at the prefecture remains operational.
It is recommended that you limit any travel in the area and follow the local traffic instructions.
Thursday 5 September – 6.00 am: The fire service and the police remain deployed on the ground with the following resources:
- 400 firefighters and military personnel from Charente-Maritime and the fire and rescue services (SDIS) across the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region,
- The 18th GIFF, with over 100 vehicles taking part
- A COD at the prefecture remains active
11.00 pm: The fire has spread across 150 hectares of vegetation; it is currently losing intensity but remains out of control.
9.00 pm: Preliminary figures show that 150 hectares of the Double Saintongeaise forest have been destroyed by fire.
8.28 pm: More than 80 hectares have now gone up in smoke.
The South-West Column is deployed to tackle the fire in Bédenac, under the command of SDIS 24, along with 1 UIFF, 1 mixed GIFF from Corrèze and Creuse, 1 GIFF from Lot-et-Garonne and 1 GIFF from Haute-Vienne.
Homes were evacuated and the residents were taken to the village hall in Bédenac.
7.52 pm: It is now the turn of the Hautes-Vienne to be mobilised; they are setting off with one GIFF to reinforce the fire service in Charente-Maritime.
The Paris–Bordeaux high-speed rail line is closed.
The following roads are currently closed and traffic is being diverted: the RD158 to the west of Bédenac, the RD271 to the south of Bédenac, and the RD145 to the south-west of Bédenac.
7.08 pm: The fire has spread across 60 hectares; the plume of smoke is visible from over 40 km away.
6.00 pm: Reinforcements from the Gironde are on their way, along with air support from the civil protection service. The plume of smoke is visible from central Bordeaux.
4.50 pm: The fire has spread across 20 to 30 hectares of vegetation. Around a hundred firefighters from Charente, Charente-Maritime and Dordogne are at the scene.
4.00 pm: Report of a major fire breaking out. Numerous fire-fighting resources are on their way