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"Felt like the end of the world": Finn flees home at night as France's megafire rages
🇫🇮 Finland /Disasters & Emergencies

"Felt like the end of the world": Finn flees home at night as France's megafire rages

From Helsingin Sanomat · () Finnish

Translated from Finnish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Ongoing story
  • A massive wildfire, described as the worst in France's modern history, is raging near Bordeaux, forcing widespread evacuations.
  • Firefighters and volunteers are battling the "megafire" in extremely dry conditions, with helicopters dropping water and farmers using plows to create firebreaks.
  • The fire has consumed 42,000 hectares, and nearly 100,000 hectares have burned in France this year, with over 220,000 people evacuated in the Bordeaux region alone.

The air crackles with the thudding sound of helicopters overhead, each carrying a water payload to combat France's worst wildfire in modern history. Near Bordeaux, the "megafire" rages, consuming the bone-dry coastal pine forest just meters from roads. Volunteer farmers are working tirelessly, plowing firebreaks and dragging water hoses into the dense undergrowth as flames erupt unexpectedly.

Many acquaintances have already lost their homes.

— Lucas LalandeA young volunteer describing the impact of the wildfire.

"Retreat!" a shout goes up as a new blaze ignites. Firefighters and volunteers scramble, dousing the flames. The scene unfolds just 20 kilometers from Bordeaux, a metropolitan area of nearly a million people, with the wind blowing from the Atlantic towards the city. A helicopter misses its target, drawing gasps from the assembled volunteers. Lucas Lalande, a young volunteer, watches the sky, shaking his head. "Many acquaintances have already lost their homes," he says.

Remi Gautier, a farmer who drove over an hour to help, describes the fire his group is fighting as minor compared to the infernos professional firefighters have faced. "We are used to forest fires here, but not like this. This one is greedier and more surprising," he notes. News reports call the event "historic" and a "megafire," with evacuation operations on a scale not seen in France since World War II. As of Sunday, 220,000 people have been evacuated from the Bordeaux region.

We are used to forest fires here, but not like this. This one is greedier and more surprising.

— Remi GautierA farmer and volunteer comparing this wildfire to previous ones.

The fire has burned 42,000 hectares, adding to a record nearly 100,000 hectares consumed by fires across France since the start of the year. Two major fire zones west of Bordeaux have been uncontrolled since Wednesday and Thursday. Overnight winds pushed the fire south in a long tongue towards the city. Cars are seen in a continuous line moving away from the orange-glowing horizon. Ketti Ylinen-Ceau, a Finnish native who has lived in France for 35 years, fears losing her home and the life she built there. "Will I find my home again?" she asks, wiping a tear. She has been evacuated since Saturday night and is staying with a Finnish winemaker.

Will I find my home again?

— Ketti Ylinen-CeauA Finnish resident expressing fear about losing her home due to the wildfire.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Helsingin Sanomat in Finnish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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