Brittany: 100 hectares burned in the Brocéliande forest near Rennes

The fire "is now mainly located in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine" after breaking out in the afternoon in Morbihan, according to the prefecture on Thursday.

By The New Obs with AFP

Published on July 17, 2025 at 9:20 p.m.

Reading time: 1 min.

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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 early evening, we learned from the Morbihan prefecture.

— Prefect of Morbihan🇫🇷🇪🇺 (@Prefet56) July 17, 2025

The fire broke out around 4 p.m. in the commune of Tréhorenteuc (Morbihan), about sixty kilometers west of Rennes, and continued to spread into the early evening. "The fire is spreading north/northeast and is now mainly located in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine" in the commune of Paimont, the prefecture stated in a press release issued at 7:45 p.m.

Nearly 200 firefighters from Morbihan, a department placed on drought alert on Wednesday by the authorities, and from Ille-et-Vilaine were mobilized.

"No homes are threatened."

"The spread of the fire is facilitated by the dryness of the vegetation and strong winds," the prefecture stated, specifying that "air reinforcements, Air Tractor and Dash 8, have arrived and have begun dropping on the site of the fire."

The Vannes Meucon pelicandrome (a water or retardant supply point for water bomber aircraft, editor's note) has been activated. "No homes are threatened at this stage," assured the Ille-et-Vilaine prefecture, which has also been mobilized.

However, several departmental roads have been closed and the population is asked to avoid the area and facilitate access for emergency services.

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