French army rapped over blaze as Europe battles fires

[allesennogwat]

MARSEILLE, France – The French army faced mounting flak Friday after a military exercise sparked a sweeping wildfire on the outskirts of Marseille, as firefighters battled blazes across southern Europe.

"This fire was clearly triggered by a professional mistake," Prime Minister Francois Fillon said late Thursday after the blaze ripped through 1,300 hectares (3,211 acres) of brush and damaged homes near France's second city.

"Tracer rounds are outlawed, not only during this period but in principle in all the camps in the south," a region more prone to forest fires, the prime minister said, announcing that a probe was underway.

Defence Minister Herve Morin termed it an "extremely regrettable, deplorable act."

The fire erupted Wednesday after troops from the 1st Foreign Legion Regiment used tracer rounds, which contain an incendiary substance to make them visible in flight, during a practice session at their base.

The blaze was contained by dawn Thursday, but this did little to calm local officials, who noted that it was the second time in as many years the army had started a wildfire.

Local prefect Michel Sappin, the French government's senior regional official and police chief, blasted the "imbecilic" actions of the military.

The officer who ordered the exercise -- a 43-year-old from the island of Reunion -- was taken into judicial custody after being suspended from his duties, according to a source close to the case.

A fifth firefighter died in Spain on Thursday and two people perished on the Italian island of Sardinia, while wildfires raged in Greece.

Though no one was killed in France, one fireman suffered burns and four rescuers were treated for smoke inhalation.

In Corsica, two villages near the southern city of Ajaccio were evacuated Thursday after wildfires raced through 3,600 hectares of tinder-dry forest.

Two major fires were raging overnight and only one had been brought under control, Bruno Maestracci, a spokesman for the fire service told AFP early Friday, adding that the rescuers were battling the flames "from house to house."

About 50 cars and 10 homes were destroyed, he said, adding that two horses had also perished. The fires had picked up speed on Thursday evening, fanned by strong winds, he added.

Ten water-dropping planes had been sent to help firefighters contain the blaze, which cut the main road between Ajaccio and Bastia, toppled telephone poles and filled the air with thick black smoke.

In Spain, a 47-year-old fireman was killed in the Aragon region when the vehicle he was driving fell into a ravine, a statement from the local government said.

He was the fifth firefighter to die this week, after four of his colleagues perished in the neighbouring region of Catalonia Tuesday.

Six fires in the northeast province of Teruel, in Aragon, remained out of control having burned more than 8,000 hectares of forest and brush, the regional government said.

More than 500 firefighters and members of the security forces sought to bring the blazes under control, having evacuated more than 1,500 people from their homes, officials said.

A regional government statement said the fires were believed to have been started by storms on Tuesday across the Aragon region.

The regional government in Castile-Leon estimated that 3,000 hectares had been destroyed in the Trevino area. In the same region, fire had swept through 1,200 hectares in Soria province.

The Spanish authorities appealed for help from France while Portugal sent a water-bombing aircraft.

Smaller fires stretched emergency services in Navarro and the Basque region in the north, Valencia in the east and Castile-La Mancha in central Spain.

In Italy, two people were killed as fires burned on the island of Sardinia Thursday, while authorities evacuated homes and a beach due to approaching flames.

Several fires broke out in Greece, mainly in the southern Peloponnese and on the island of Evia, destroying forests and farms. In 2007, 77 people died in forest fires in Greece.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090724/wl_afp/europefire

[allesennogwat]

MARSEILLE, France - - A Foreign Legion drill instructor was suspended and taken into custody Thursday after an "imbecilic" shooting exercise led to a huge wildfire that threatened the outskirts of Marseille.

No-one was killed as the blaze ripped through 1,300 hectares (3,211 acres) of brush and damaged homes in the suburbs of France's second city, but one fireman suffered burns and four rescuers were treated for smoke inhalation.

The fire erupted Wednesday after troops from the 1st Foreign Legion Regiment used tracer rounds, which contain an incendiary substance to make them visible in flight, during a practice session at their base.

The blaze was contained by dawn Thursday, but this did little to calm the anger of local officials, who noted this was the second time in as many years the army had started a wildfire.

Local prefect Michel Sappin, the French government's senior regional official and police chief, blasted the "imbecilic" actions of the military.

"It was the same thing last year near the camp in Canjuers. That was the biggest fire last summer," he said. Wednesday's fire, started at a camp in Carpiagne, was the worst to hit southern France in three years.

The officer who ordered the exercise -- a 43-year-old from the island of Reunion -- was taken into judicial custody after being suspended from his duties, according to a source close to the case.

Fresh back from a tour of duty in Afghanistan, he told investigators he was not informed that tracer rounds were viewed as a fire hazard in the region and was "devastated" by the damage he had caused, said the source.

Visiting the fire-ravaged area, Prime Minister Francois Fillon promised tough punishment for those responsible, and a review of French military rules on shooting exercises.

Fillon told reporters the use of tracer rounds was forbidden year-round in wildfire-prone southern France, except with special permission, and called the firing "a blatant and unforgiveable professional error."

"There will be sanctions against those who committed these serious mistakes," said Fillon, who instructed Defence Minister Herve Morin to put the military on stand-by to help with clean-up operations.

Philippe Pancarzi, head of Marseille's fire service, said the blaze had stopped spreading but was not yet fully under control Thursday afternoon.

Thick smoke billowed out from the hills overlooking the eastern outskirts of Marseille as firefighters battled to stamp out the last of the flames.

With winds not forecast to weaken, "we are keeping all our assets on the scene," including nearly 500 firefighters -- backed up by water dropping planes and helicopters -- spread over eight kilometres (five miles), Pancarzi said.

Around 200 residents of a retirement home and a centre for the handicapped in La Panouse, south of the city, were evacuated early Thursday, many still in their pyjamas and some in wheelchairs.

The fire moved down a hill outside the city and threatened the Trois-Ponts and La Barasse districts. Residents sprayed water on the outside of their homes before they moved out, with most returning throughout the day Thursday.

Several homes were damaged, but none destroyed, apart from some hill cabins and a shepherd's hut.

"There is a lot of anger, because everyone here works hard all year to protect the environment," said one local woman, Elsa Chevalier, looking up at the charred hillside from outside her flat.

Separately on the island of Corsica, two villages near the southern city of Ajaccio were evacuated Thursday after wildfires raced through 3,000 hectares of tinder-dry forestland.

Ten water-dropping planes were sent to help firefighters contain the blaze, which cut the main road between Ajaccio and Bastia, toppled telephone poles and filled the air with thick black smoke.

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