Fires in southwest France: 'I dropped everything, took some things and we left' (2024)

  • Environment
  • Fires

On Monday, some 8,000 people were evacuated as a precaution from La Teste-de-Buch because of the spreading fire. In total, in Gironde, nearly 37,000 people have had to leave their homes.

ByClaire Mayer(Bordeaux (France) correspondent) and Florence Moreau(Bordeaux (France) correspondent)

Published on July 19, 2022, at 5:35 pm (Paris), updated on July 27, 2022, at 1:13 pm

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"We took some toiletries, our dog, our important documents, and we left." In the middle of the afternoon on Monday, July 18, Chantal Baseden and her husband drove to Arcachon, four kilometers from their home. While the fire that has raged for six days in La Teste-de-Buch has so far spared their residential area near the Dune du Pilat, they have now been evacuated. Lieutenant Colonel Arnaud Mendousse, a communications officer for the fire and rescue service (SDIS) of Gironde, called it "a precautionary measure, because the winds are starting to push the toxic smoke towards homes."

"The smoke has been dense and acrid since this morning. But we didn't expect to be evacuated," added Chantal's sister-in-law, Nathalie Baseden, who also lives in the area. In total, about 8,000 people have had to leave the area of La Teste-de-Buch: 3,000 in Pyla-sur-Mer and 5,000 in the Miquelots neighborhood, in the same district of Arcachon. In total, more than 37,000 people, residents or holidaymakers, have had to leave their accommodation due to the fires in Gironde, where nearly 19,000 hectares of forest have been destroyed by fire since July 12. In the area of La Teste-de-Buch, 6,500 hectares of forest have now gone.

Read more Europe continues to burn as heat wave breaks records across continent

"This morning, we woke up with the smell of smoke," said Louise Willot, on vacation with her sister and their children. Worried, they tried to get information, then began to hear police sirens. "I dropped everything, took some things, we woke up the children (it was their nap time), and we left," she explained on the phone, on the road to Bordeaux where she lives. A small distance away, on the heights of Pyla, Florence Droz was still waiting in the afternoon to know where she would end up going with her husband and their two grandchildren aged 7 and 9. They were given a warning at 2 pm by police officers who "went by in the street with loudspeakers asking us to leave in 30 minutes." She then got into her car with her grandchildren and ended up at the home of friends, further down, in Moulleau.

"As soon as we arrived, my friends received a phone call asking them to evacuate as well." Ms. Droz left again, this time to another friend's place in Abatilles. "And there, they were also warned that there was a risk of evacuation." Having lived in California in the United States, she said that she knows how fires work, and had taken the initiative: After getting information from a telephone number found online, she left at 6:30 am to park her car two kilometers from her home, "so as not to leave it in the garage," with a few belongings in the trunk.

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Fires in southwest France: 'I dropped everything, took some things and we left' (2024)

FAQs

What started the fires in France? ›

The fires were sparked by lightning, arson or negligence, spreading rapidly due to hot and dry weather and strong winds.

What causes large fires in southern France? ›

High wildland vegetation cover, especially shrubland, wetness in fall–winter, dryness in summer during a long period, high unemployment rate and tourism pressure were positively linked to the burned area whereas wetness in summer, high farmland and pasture covers and high population density were negatively linked to ...

Which campsites were destroyed by fire in France? ›

PARIS, Aug 15 (Reuters) - A fire in the south of France burned through 500 hectares of land and destroyed a campsite, with 2,000 people evacuated before the blaze was brought under control on Tuesday, and the French environment minister said climate change exacerbated conditions of drought that fed the fire.

Where did the French wildfires happen? ›

The 2021 France wildfires are multiple wildfires happening in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, mainly in Saint Tropez.

How did Notre-Dame in France catch on fire? ›

Investigators in 2020 believed the fire to have been "started by either a cigarette or a short circuit in the electrical system". On 17 April, French president Emmanuel Macron set a five-year deadline to restore the cathedral. By September 2021, donors had contributed over €840 million to the rebuilding effort.

What building caught on fire in France? ›

On April 15, 2019, a fire broke out under the eaves of Notre-Dame Cathedral's roof. The fire engulfed the spire and most of the roof. The fire began around 6:30pm local Paris time on Monday, April 15 and burned until the next morning Tuesday, April 16. Fire engulfed the spire and most of the roof.

What French church was damaged by fire? ›

Early in the morning on Monday, September 2, a fire broke out in the 19th-century church in the northern French town of Saint-Omer. No-one was hurt, but the church's steeple has collapsed.

What town was destroyed by the camp fire? ›

The town of Paradise, California, was almost completely destroyed in the 2018 Camp Fire — which scorched more than 150,000 acres and was the deadliest wildfire in the state's history.

How many structures were destroyed in the camp fire? ›

The fire spread to more than 100,000 acres within the first two days. 18,800 structures were destroyed, the vast majority of them — almost 14,000 — were residences. Around 30,000 people lost their homes.

Where do wildfires occur the most in the world? ›

Wildfires occur all over the world. Forested areas, grasslands, and shrublands in places such as the United States, Canada, Australia, Western Cape of South Africa, and Southern Europe are particularly susceptible, especially if the area is experiencing an extended period of drought and high temperatures.

How did the French fire start in California? ›

The 908-acre French Fire ignited July 4 when a person “used a lawn mower in dried annual grass,” said Cal Fire's unit in Madera, Mariposa and Merced counties.

Where was the biggest wildfire ever? ›

List of Top 10 Largest Wildfires in History
RankingFire NameLocation
1The Great Fire of 1910Idaho, Montana, Washington
2Siberian Taiga FiresSiberia, Russia
3Australia Bushfires (2019-20)Australia
4Chinchaga FireAlberta, British Columbia
6 more rows
Aug 14, 2024

What started the Paradise fire? ›

The fire was started by downed power lines due to high winds. Dry grass and leaves, pine needles, twigs, and other dead brush fueled the fire as it began to grow.

Who was responsible for the Notre Dame fire? ›

The workers had stored some of the scaffolding in the roof and it is possible that this had damaged the electrical wiring of the bells and triggered a short circuit. But the Notre Dame fire can't be fully explained by these human errors, committed by the “frontline” employees.

What started the bonfire? ›

The reason we do this is because it's the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot (1605); a failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London by a group of dissident Catholics.

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