Over 900 firefighters have been deployed to a fire in France’s southern Gard region. The firefighters are backed by aircraft and the blaze has burned 600 hectares so far. A senior member of the fire service said there are many hard-to-reach fronts of the fire that are continuing to advance, making the fire far from being put out.
The fire began on Thursday night and the firefighters set backfires to protect inhabited areas. The “mega-fire” began near the village of Bordezac and caused evacuations from Besseges and other villages Thursday night. Approximately 100 people have been moved to holiday homes or restaurants in the area. By Friday, only a garage and a small hut had burned and people’s homes were no longer in danger. Hundreds of firefighters remained on the scene and two planes have continued dumping water on the first since Friday morning.
Read more: Hundreds of firefighters battle ‘mega-fire’ in southern France