Fires: Brocéliande forest in Brittany hit by major fire

A major fire broke out on 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, announced the Morbihan sur X prefecture.

The fire broke out around 4 p.m. in the town of Tréhorenteuc, in Morbihan, about sixty kilometers west of Rennes, and continued to spread into the early evening. Nearly 200 firefighters from Morbihan and Ille-et-Vilaine were mobilized, according to the prefecture.

"The spread of the fire is facilitated by the dryness of the vegetation and strong winds," the prefecture warned in its press release. Air reinforcements (Air Tractor and Dash 8) have been requested to support ground resources and should arrive early this evening, a spokesperson said.

The Vannes-Meucon pelicandrome – the water or retardant supply point for water bomber planes – has been activated, authorities said. "No homes are threatened at this stage," assured the Ille-et-Vilaine prefecture, which has also been mobilized.

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 hotspot of Arthurian legend, straddling eastern Morbihan and southwest Ille-et-Vilaine.

Elsewhere, in the Ardèche Cévennes, a fire has covered nearly 40 hectares, the departmental prefecture announced, amid heightened vigilance over forest fires due to the drought. "Nearly 40 hectares have burned, 100 hectares are threatened," in an area near the commune of Valgorge, the Ardèche prefecture told Agence France-Presse at around 5:45 p.m.

State services specified that there were no homes or sensitive areas nearby. Two departmental roads were closed while the firefighters responded. Around 100 firefighters were deployed, with 53 vehicles deployed, as well as two civil security Dash aircraft, a water-bombing helicopter, two reconnaissance aircraft, and a coordination helicopter.