A massive forest fire in southwestern France, which broke out in July and became the largest in the country since 1949, has been fully extinguished. Yle reports this, citing AFP, writes UNN.
Details
The fire was brought under control as early as August 1, but it continued to smolder underground for several weeks. More than 3,300 firefighters were involved in fighting the blaze.
According to the French authorities, the firefighting operation was the largest in the modern history of the country's civil protection service. The fire destroyed 37,296 hectares of land, while the total area affected by the blaze reached approximately 42,000 hectares.
More than 200,000 people evacuated
The fire broke out near the village of Saumos in the Gironde department. The blaze threatened the Cap Ferret peninsula, popular with tourists, and the areas surrounding Bordeaux.
Because of the fire, approximately 224,000 people were forced to evacuate. Despite the scale of the disaster, there were no fatalities.
The last time France experienced a larger forest fire was in 1949, when approximately 50,000 hectares burned in the same region. According to preliminary data, fires have already destroyed approximately 98,000 hectares in France this year—the highest figure since 1976.