French authorities evacuated 525 people from the village of Luglon after a wildfire broke out in the southwestern Landes region. The fire started near an area that had already been affected by large-scale fires this summer. Reuters reports, UNN writes.
Details
The fire, which has destroyed 1,100 hectares (2,700 acres) of forest since starting on Thursday, spread to within 2 km (1.2 miles) of the center of Luglon, regional authority representative Gilles Clavreul told reporters on Friday.
The Landes region is covered with pine forests, which become extremely flammable during droughts.
"The situation is unfavorable, and the fire is still raging," Clavreul said, adding that 500 firefighters were battling the blaze and six aircraft had been deployed to assist them.
Roads north and south of the village are closed.
Clavreul did not comment on the possible cause of the fire.
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Luglon is located approximately 100 km (62 miles) southeast of the tourist area around Arcachon Bay, where two large-scale wildfires destroyed more than 50,000 hectares (124,000 acres) and led to the evacuation of up to 220,000 people in late July.
French media reported on Friday that a 15-year-old teenager had been detained in connection with a fire that broke out in July near Bordeaux airport in the same region and claimed the lives of two firefighters.
The teenager was placed under judicial investigation. According to the local newspaper Sud Ouest, he allegedly discarded a cigarette butt that caused the fire. The Bordeaux prosecutor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
France's Interior Ministry said that 474 people had been detained on suspicion of causing fires, regardless of whether this was intentional. Among them, 183 were under the age of 18. The ministry had previously said that around 70% of those detained were suspected of deliberate arson.
Southwestern France has been suffering from heat waves this summer, and temperatures are expected to rise to 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit) on Friday afternoon.
The area of land burned in France this year has already exceeded the figure recorded in the previous record year, 2022.