Fire near Saumos: Investigators examine vegetation-clearing work as a possible cause

Saumos – 27 July 2026: Between pine forest and the roads leading to the Bassin d’Arcachon, a fire broke out around midday on Wednesday, 22 July, with consequences extending far beyond the municipality of Saumos. In the search for the cause of the fire, investigators are now focusing on vegetation work near a high-voltage power line. However, this remains a working hypothesis in an ongoing investigation.

The Bordeaux public prosecutor’s office said on Friday, 24 July, following initial investigations by the Lesparre-Médoc Gendarmerie, that an unintentional cause is currently considered likely. According to the information available, a machine may have started the fire during vegetation-clearing work. Employees of a company are said to have been working on a line on behalf of grid operator Enedis.

Legally, this qualification is significant: the statement describes neither a definitively established cause nor the responsibility of a company or individual employees. In forest fire investigations, authorities examine, among other things, the suspected point of origin, technical evidence, witness statements, and weather and ground conditions. It remains unclear whether this will result in criminal or civil consequences. The public prosecutor’s office has not named any accused person; the presumption of innocence applies.

Enedis confirmed that, on 22 July, a contractor was carrying out vegetation work near electrical lines in Saumos. Such operations are intended to keep lines, access routes and adjacent areas free of vegetation. This is meant to prevent disruptions and reduce combustible material. During severe drought, however, machinery can itself become a hazard, for example if sparks, hot components or friction reach highly flammable material. Special precautionary rules and local restrictions therefore apply when the risk of forest fires is elevated.

The fire spread rapidly through the forest area north of the Bassin d’Arcachon under difficult weather conditions. The prefecture ordered precautionary evacuations. According to the Gendarmerie, around 20,000 people were temporarily affected by the protective measures. Emergency services closed transport routes, cleared threatened areas and tried to protect residential zones from the flames.

For Saumos, Le Porge and the affected coastal towns, the investigation has immediate significance. Gironde is characterized by extensive, dry pine forests and still bears the memory of the severe fires of 2022. The accident hypothesis now under review therefore also raises the question of under what conditions vegetation work may be carried out during periods of high forest-fire risk. So far, it is only established that work was being carried out at the suspected point of origin and that the public prosecutor’s office considers an unintentional ignition likely. The exact cause of the fire has not yet been conclusively established.