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| Celtic Radio Community > Brittany > News From Brittany |
| Posted by: WizardofOwls 01-Oct-2005, 07:03 PM |
| I found this news article at Brittany-News (Http://www.brittany-news.net). It is a little old (Issue 13, 02/10/05) But still pretty interesting. I wonder how it turned out? Firefighters patrol site of Brocéliande forest Brittany?s biggest forest fire this year has destroyed 125 hectares of the fabled Forest of Brocéliande, keeping hundreds of firefighters struggling for over a week to get the blaze under control. On press day, traffic was still prohibited on several key roads in the area by order of the préfet of Brittany. Firefighters are carrying out regular foot patrols in the devastated area and a Cessna spotter aircraft has been called in to watch for renewed outbreaks.Water bombing aircraft were unavailable for the fire since the tragedy on August 1st when a Canadair firefighting aircraft broke up in mid-air during a mission in Corsica. France grounded its Canadair fleet for investigations, but the aircraft have been cleared to go back to work. Prolonged drought and stiff winds hampered efforts to bring the Brocéliande fire under control. The forest is associated with the Arthurian legend and encompasses several mythical sites, including Merlin?s tomb and the Giant?s Tomb, a prehistoric burial site. But although the fire came close to the Valley of No Return, the mythical sites seem to have been spared. As well as barring traffic in the affected areas, the préfet has also forbidden barbecues. The cause of the fire is not yet known. But fires started in at least two, and possibly four places, giving rise to speculation on a firefighters? web log that these could be more than mere accidents. |