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Wildfire in Southwestern France Destroys Nearly 15,000 Acres of Forest, Prefecture Says

PARIS (Sputnik) - A massive wildfire raging in the Gironde department in southwestern France has destroyed 6,000 hectares (15,000 acres) of forest and 16 houses, the local prefecture said on Wednesday.
Sputnik
The wildfire broke out again in the commune of Saint-Magne in Gironde last night.
"The area of ​​the burnt forest in the commune of Hostens [in Gironde] has amounted to 6,000 hectares. The fire is very strong, it has spread to the department of Landes," the Gironde prefecture said in a statement.
About 3,800 people have been evacuated from the communes of Hostens, Saint-Magne and Belin-Beliet, and another 2,000 from the town of Belin, according to the statement. The evacuation is still underway.
The disaster has destroyed 16 houses in several areas of Belin-Beliet, though there have been no casualties so far, the statement read.
In July, severe wildfires broke out in the Gironde department due to the heat and drought. Then the disaster destroyed more than 20,000 hectares of forest. Firefighting costed France 6.6 million euros ($6.7 million) in ten days, according to the Europe 1 broadcaster.
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