Forest fires

[Blaze]

It looks as if the 2 fires in the Monts d'Arrée in Brittany were started deliberately
https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/ ... _3244.html

But it seems that the man arrested in connection with the fire at Landiras has been released without charge.

[Blaze]

Brittany is burning - 20 fires started in Morbihan today, including a new one on the Monts d'Arrée
Some, including St Philibert and Locoal-Mendon are not yet under control. The cause of all these fires is not yet known .... But so many in one area on one day ??
https://www.letelegramme.fr/morbihan/sa ... 139433.php

[Bayleaf]

Tourists with BBqs would be my first thought - especially those awful little single use ones, that people don't realise are still smouldering long after they've gone, and are not disposed of carefully.

Mr Bayleaf suggested secheresse and water restriction notices (in pictures!) on the entrances to supermarkets (and maybe at the tills) - how else do visitors know what the current situation/restrictions/dangers are? Heck, even at the Dover delays! Common sense has long since departed in many sectors... No naked flames outdoors!

There also seems to be a lot of fireworks going on at night at the moment, a stray spark on some dry grass?

I'm still certain 8 out of 10 fires are caused by human error or design.

[Mangetout]

There have been quite a few fires within kilometres of our house as this area is heavily wooded. And to top it all the small carpenters business just a few metres from our perimeter hedge had a van catch fire yesterday and it exploded. Took 2 fire engines to put it out. I was terrified our trees would catch light but we seem to have been lucky.

[niemeyjt]

I would be inclined to agree - lightning does cause fires, but that many?

Disposable BBQs - I agree. But even cigarette stubs not extinguished before being put into overflowing bins. There are calls to ban such BBQs, but surely education is better?

A case in the US was caused by a farmer dragging a trailer with a blown tyre running on its rim to the local tyre shop - 20 miles away. The sparks set off numerous fires along the way - so it is not always the most obvious things.

[niemeyjt]

There have been quite a few fires within kilometres of our house as this area is heavily wooded. And to top it all the small carpenters business just a few metres from our perimeter hedge had a van catch fire yesterday and it exploded. Took 2 fire engines to put it out. I was terrified our trees would catch light but we seem to have been lucky.

Costs and environmentalism have led to woodland areas becoming fire hazards. Failure to remove undergrowth and thin trees allows fires to catch hold and spread more easily.

[MAD87]

Costs and environmentalism have led to woodland areas becoming fire hazards. Failure to remove undergrowth and thin trees allows fires to catch hold and spread more easily.

So true. I'd be in favour of the authorities clearing undergrowth and billing private owners pro rata for the service.

[Bayleaf]

Costs and environmentalism have led to woodland areas becoming fire hazards. Failure to remove undergrowth and thin trees allows fires to catch hold and spread more easily.

So true. I'd be in favour of the authorities clearing undergrowth and billing private owners pro rata for the service.

Crikey - you need to see the amount of dead undergrowth in the woodland around us! When I pass through tracks on horseback, there is so much fallen (dead) wood, it seems such a waste of Bois de Chauffage. But it would be very labour intensive work, and expensive, and not always easy to find out who actually owns what land. It wouldn't take much for that lot to go up.

[exile]

I would be inclined to agree - lightning does cause fires, but that many?

We are surrounded by large forests. Being high in the mountains we probably get more than the average number of storms. In all the time we have been here, I am only aware of one fire that was started by lightning over the 20km or so that we can see from our vantage point. Incidentally happened earlier this year and was rapidly extinguished.

[niemeyjt]

Crikey - you need to see the amount of dead undergrowth in the woodland around us! When I pass through tracks on horseback, there is so much fallen (dead) wood, it seems such a waste of Bois de Chauffage. But it would be very labour intensive work, and expensive, and not always easy to find out who actually owns what land. It wouldn't take much for that lot to go up.

Chip it and send it to the Maire's white elephant in St Yrieix.