The fire broke out around 2:30 p.m. when the temperature exceeded 39 degrees. Fanned by the exceptional heat and hot winds, the fire quickly grew, spreading thick smoke in the sky of Finistère. It was there, in the town of Brasparts, in the heart of the Monts d’Arrée, that a major fire broke out on Monday. According to the Finistère prefecture, more than 150 hectares of moorland have already burned but the situation will continue to deteriorate.
More than 140 firefighters are already on site to fight against the flames which are already licking the emblematic chapel of Mont Saint-Michel de Brasparts, dominating this very old mountain range. The protection of the chapel is assured, promise the authorities. Reinforcements arrived from Côtes-d’Armor and Morbihan to try to control the fire, fanned by the hot south-easterly wind. A Dash water bomber plane is expected in the evening. “The conditions are not favorable at all. The fire is not under control at all”, recognized the prefecture around 7 p.m.
Eight people residing in a nearby lodge were evacuated. “At this stage, no casualties are to be deplored and no homes are threatened,” adds the prefecture. In 2012, 300 hectares of bog had burned in this area.
This Monday, Brittany experienced an extremely hot day where heat records were broken everywhere. Firefighters throughout the region had to deal with numerous outbreaks of fire.