According to information from Forest fires, at least 60 hectares have gone up in smoke over the past 24 hours. This is the provisional toll from the fire that broke out last Sunday on Menez-Hom, a mountain rising to a height of 330 metres, in Dinéault in Finistère.
"The fire is under control. It is confined to a wooded area which we need to enter in order to extinguish certain hotspots.", announced Gilles Boulic, Lieutenant-Colonel with SDIS 29, on Monday 6 June to our colleagues at France 3.
The fire is now under control
After several hours of fighting the blaze, the fire on the right-hand side of Menez-Hom has been brought under control; the fire brigade is now focusing on the left-hand side.
Their efforts are sometimes hampered by the terrain, which consists mainly of heathland and ferns. Rain, forecast for later on Monday, could help to bring the fire under control.
As for the cause of the fire, according to initial reports, it is possible that lightning struck a tree during the night between Friday and Saturday, during the latest storm to hit the region.
An increase in staff numbers
When the fire broke out yesterday, Sunday 5 June, at around 11.30 am, around 50 firefighters were initially dispatched to the scene. By late afternoon, the number of firefighters had risen to 86, before finally reaching 140 today, Monday 6 June.
A request for reinforcements was also made to the fire services in Morbihan and Côtes-d'Armor.