Residents of the Gironde region in southwestern France have described the terror of being forced from their homes as a massive wildfire swept across 42,000 hectares — an area four times the size of Paris. The blaze, one of the most devastating in France since World War II, prompted the evacuation of 220,000 people, including many from suburban areas near Bordeaux.
Evacuees Share Stories of Panic and Loss
Krishma, an interpreter, and her husband Nassir, an English literature graduate from Kabul living in France for seven years, were among those who fled their suburban apartment in Mérignac. They described a strange black cloud turning the sky dark in the middle of the day. 'The sky changed colour. It seemed like a cloud but it was smoke covering the sun – it wasn’t a natural phenomenon. It didn’t seem real,' said Nassir. 'We couldn’t breathe easily, you could feel it in your lungs.'
On Monday, the French government said the fire had stopped growing but remained 'extremely intense and unpredictable.' A new heatwave was expected to complicate firefighting efforts.
Families Evacuate in the Dead of Night
Krishma and Nassir were ordered to leave their home at midnight on Friday. With their children aged 10 and 8, they quickly packed essentials and spent three nights sleeping on camp beds at Bordeaux's exhibition centre. They did not know when they could return. 'When we were in Afghanistan there were lots of explosions, suicide attacks, but that was related to around 30 years of war. When we came here, we never thought there would be a situation like this. It brought us back to the bad memories from our past,' said Krishma.
At least 240 homes were destroyed, and tens of thousands of people were evacuated from built-up urban streets as the fire reached 9 miles (15km) from Bordeaux's outer suburbs.
Displaced Residents Describe Apocalyptic Scenes
Yves, a retired road maintenance worker, fled his home in Le Haillan with his mastiff dog. He was ordered out in the early hours of Saturday. His wife said: 'It was terrifying – you would look up at the sky and it was completely orange, even after nightfall. It was bizarre... Seeing all that is beautiful in nature just go up in smoke is extremely painful and sad.'
Loïc, a widower, had to leave his house in Saint-Jean-d’Illac. He described a 'kind of ochre mist' from ash falling. He grabbed only his wallet and car keys and slept in his car, later watching films in Bordeaux. He felt deeply saddened by the loss of the forest.
Florence, a former teaching assistant, evacuated Le Haillan with her two cats. 'I was distraught,' she said. 'The sky was orange and grey, and there was soot everywhere.' She compared the experience to a disaster movie: 'It felt like being in a disaster movie – but now I feel like I’ve actually been in one, so I don’t ever want to watch a disaster movie again.'
