- Title: French wildfires blaze near Saint-Tropez resort
- Date: 25th July 2017
- Summary: RAMATUELLE, FRANCE (JULY 25, 2017) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOT) VARIOUS OF WILDFIRES BURNING IN RAMATUELLE MUNICIPALITY, 10 KM FROM SAINT-TROPEZ, FRANCE (NIGHT SHOT) FIRE TRUCK ARRIVING AT SCENE (NIGHT SHOT) FIRE BURNING FIRE TRUCK ARRIVING AT SCENE, SEEN FROM INSIDE TRUCK FIREFIGHTERS UNRAVELLING HOSE FROM FIRE TRUCK FIREFIGHTER WALKING THROUGH FOREST TOWARDS FIRE FIRE BURNING FIREFIGHTERS WALKING AWAY FROM FIRE TRUCK FIREFIGHTERS EXTINGUISHING FOREST FIRE (NIGHT SHOT) FIRE TRUCK DRIVING (NIGHT SHOT) FIREFIGHTERS TALKING OUTSIDE COMMAND CENTRE (NIGHT SHOT) FIREFIGHTERS STANDING INSIDE COMMAND CENTRE FIREFIGHTERS WORKING INSIDE COMMAND CENTRE (SOUNDBITE) (French) HEAD OF COMMAND POST, LIEUTENANT-COLONEL MICHEL DUTREUX, SAYING: "The starting point was at around 5:30 p.m. in the commune of La Croix-Valmer, a fire which took off with a very strong wind. We measured spreading speeds of 2,100 metres per hour in the first hour and more widely it spread over about 200 hectares in the first hour as well, so a very aggressive fire. The main problems we had were the sides that hit inhabited areas so obviously measures were put in place to protect the homes in this initial phase and so we spread out as the fire advanced." COMMAND CENTRE (SOUNDBITE) (French) HEAD OF COMMAND POST, LIEUTENANT-COLONEL MICHEL DUTREUX, SAYING: "The situation is not under control because for the fire we are a bit still lacking in means, but the current problem for the department is that there is another fire spread more than 150 hectares further north and two or three fires which are still active as we speak. So obviously we have to allocate our means. So tomorrow morning we will wait for the (water) columns. One of the problems of the fire as well is the late hour at which it started. Obviously the aerial means of fire fighting don't fly at night, so they stopped at around 9:30 p.m. and so we had to carry out a nocturnal fight without our aerial means." (NIGHT SHOT) FIRE BURNING VARIOUS OF FIRE BURNING FIRE TRUCK DRIVING FIREFIGHTERS STANDING NEAR TRUCK VARIOUS OF FIRE TRUCK DRIVING
- Embargoed: 8th August 2017 07:56
- Keywords: St Tropez wildfires France fires St Tropez blaze Ramatuelle France fire
- Location: RAMATUELLE, FRANCE
- City: RAMATUELLE, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents,Fires
- Reuters ID: LVA0016R7TA9Z
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Firefighters battled a large blaze in Ramatuelle commune, about 10 kilometres from the popular resort town of Saint-Tropez, in southern France, on Tuesday (July 25).
Strong winds spread the flames quickly, with the fire having spread more than 200 hectares in the first hour, authorities said.
Early on Tuesday morning the head of the command post, Lieutenant-Colonet Michel Dutreux, said the fire was not yet under control. A number of fires in southern France were still active, and the department was struggling to fight many at once, he said.
Authorities said on Monday (July 24) fires had destroyed some 1,400 hectares of forest and woodlands in the south of France and on the island of Corsica. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None