"Air reinforcements have been requested": a fire in progress in the Brocéliande forest, nearly 200 firefighters mobilized

A major fire broke out this Thursday afternoon, July 17, in the Brocéliande forest, west of Rennes, where around a hundred hectares of vegetation had burned by the end of the afternoon, the Morbihan prefecture announced.

At around 6 p.m., the fire was still active, and 100 hectares of vegetation had burned. "The spread of the fire is facilitated by the dryness of the vegetation and strong winds," the prefecture said.

Nearly 200 firefighters are responding to the incident. "Emergency vehicles are currently deployed to the site, and air reinforcements have been requested," the prefecture said.

In a post on X, the prefecture of Brittany and Ille-et-Vilaine advised residents to "avoid the area so as not to hinder emergency services," "facilitate the passage of emergency services," and "follow the instructions of the authorities."

"No homes are threatened at this stage," the prefecture said. "The departmental operations center (COD) was activated in the Ille-et-Vilaine prefecture at 5:40 p.m.," the statement said.

The Brocéliande forest, very popular with tourists at this time of year, experienced very significant fires in the summer of 2022. One of them covered more than 600 hectares and destroyed around 400.

This forest, which extends over more than 9,000 hectares, is a high place of Arthurian legend, straddling the east of Morbihan and the southwest of Ille-et-Vilaine.