Rain brings relief to France fires, but more evacuated in south

TOULOUSE, France — A forest fire that flared anew in southern France sent 1,000 more people fleeing while overnight rain brought blazes elsewhere in the country under control, officials said on Sunday.

France has been buffeted this summer by a historic drought as well as a series of heatwaves and several forest fires.

A fire that had been raging since Monday in the southern Aveyron region appeared to be under control and dying out on Saturday afternoon when it suddenly reignited in a "virulent" manner, gobbling up 500 more hectare, the prefecture said.

At least 1,000 people were evacuated from the village of Mostuejols near the city of Millau and six nearby hamlets, it said.

Some 3,000 people had already been evacuated because of the fire, but were allowed back when it appeared under control. No casualties have been reported so far from the blaze, which has consumed a total of 1,260 hectares so far.

A local man was under investigation for accidentally starting the fire when a metal part of his trailer touched the road, sending off sparks that ignited the dried vegetation.

To limit such risks in eastern France, police said on Saturday they were banning entry to all but residents in most forests in the Bas-Rhin region near the German border.

Meanwhile, in the southwestern Gironde region around Bordeaux, a huge fire that had flared on Tuesday was under control after rain fell overnight, a senior official said.

The situation "considerably improved during the night", Arnaud Mendousse, of Gironde fire and rescue, said.

He said there had been between 10 and 30 mm of rain in the region but on "terrain that is extremely dry".

Lower temperatures, rain forecast 

"We know that this offers a respite but does no signify an end to the fight. We know that if it does not rain in the next 48 to 72 hours the risk will increase considerably."

Mendousse said the humidity level has gone up and the temperature was relatively low at around 25ºC, adding: "The fire is not completely out and the soil remains extremely hot".

Meteo France was forecasting lower temperatures and rain and thunderstorms for most of the country on Sunday.

In the northwest, in the legendary Broceliande forest in region of Brittany, where King Arthur roamed and where wildfires are normally rare, a fire was contained after rain fell overnight, but remained under watch after devastating 400 hectares, officials said.

EU members including Germany, Poland, Austria and Romania have sent reinforcement to France to help battle blazes and several water-bombing planes from the European Union fleet have also joined firefighting efforts.