Gironde fires: At Le Porge, a difficult return to school after the trauma of the megafire

At Le Porge’s Jean Degoul school, the buildings remain intact. The same cannot be said for the sense of security among many families returning after the Saumos megafire crossed the village three times between July 22 and August 1.

The fire devastated 42,000 hectares across Gironde and destroyed 183 homes in Le Porge alone. Seven thousand hectares burned within the commune. As the new school year approaches, residents are still absorbing what local officials describe as a collective trauma, with many feeling exhausted and angry.

“

We have lost all our bearings.

The school, which serves 275 children aged three to 11, is expected to have full attendance when classes resume. Bordeaux education rector Jean-Marc Huart said 45 pupils at the school or the nearby Lège-Cap-Ferret middle school had been affected by the loss of their homes. Psychological listening units will be established in the schools for children and families who lost their houses or were evacuated.

For Marc Dalla Samba, 50, the disruption has meant repeated relocations. He lost the home he rented with his partner and their two teenage children. “We have lost all our bearings,” he said. His son and his partner’s daughter no longer want to return to Le Porge, while his partner remains on sick leave after the shock. The family has found temporary accommodation in Andernos, closer to the high school, but expects to move again in May.

“

We all have a friend whose house has been destroyed.

Residents and parents have tried to ease the practical burden. School-supply collections were organized in August for affected pupils. Parent association representative Sébastien Dréan said people were tired and that the start of school had slipped from their minds. He described the atmosphere by saying, “We all have a friend whose house has been destroyed.”

Justine Benesse, 32, whose home burned, feels relieved that her six-year-old daughter can return to the local school and see friends who experienced the same disaster. Yet the child still covers her ears when she hears a fire engine, talks about firefighting aircraft when she sees a plane, and asks whether there is a fire when the sunset turns the sky red. Her mother says school will help the family resume ordinary life, even as anger over the village’s condition continues to grow.

“

It will do the children good to see their friends again and do something else.