The fire in a major French army training camp in Canjuers (Var), which has destroyed nearly 1,800 hectares of vegetation since Saturday and slightly injured a firefighter, is "
now under control
", said Wednesday June 22 in end of the day the firefighters of the Var.
Read alsoClimate: increasingly frequent and intense fires in the forest
"
The fire will be declared extinguished when no more fumaroles are observed
," they said in a statement.
The fire, which destroyed grass and brush, broke out on Saturday around 9 a.m., caused by artillery fire in a so-called "
polluted
" training area, that is to say where there are shells and unexploded explosives, slowing down the intervention of firefighters for safety reasons.
“
For four days, in the impacted area, the weather conditions of swirling winds and relief made it difficult to intervene by land resources in certain sectors
,” added the Var firefighters.
Destruction of biodiversity sectors
The emergency services mobilized significant air resources to deal with the fire, up to six Canadair planes, two of the Dash type and two water bomber helicopters, Captain Olivier Pécot of Sdis du Var told AFP. .
More than 320 civilian and military firefighters took turns, some from neighboring departments, to extinguish the flames - confined within the camp grounds - and up to 98 vehicles were deployed at the height of the fire.
On Monday, a Var firefighter was lightly hit by shrapnel after the latter went through the windshield of his truck.
The same day, the Marseille prosecutor's office confirmed to AFP the opening of an investigation "
on the count of involuntary destruction by fire
", followed by the military prosecutor's office.
Read alsoFires: “Climate change has put firefighters in a wringer”
Isolated, the military complex of Canjuers is located tens of kilometers from homes.
The largest camp in Western Europe, this vast complex of 35,000 hectares extends over the high plateaus of northern Var.
"
The fire destroyed areas of great biodiversity at the gates of one of France's natural nuggets, a large site whose landscapes and biodiversity are world-renowned
," lamented in a press release the Verdon Regional Natural Park, of which it is a part. the Canjuers camp, recalling that the latter "
is known for its many natural environments (...) which shelter rare and endangered fauna and flora
" and that it is also "
a strategic area for pastoralism
" in the Var.
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