Smoke pursues evacuees from French southwest fires even to Bordeaux

The acrid smell of smoke has permeated Bordeaux, arriving even before many of the thousands evacuated from southwestern France's escalating wildfires. The Exhibition Park in Bordeaux has become an impromptu shelter for those fleeing their homes and holidays as two major fires rage uncontrollably. As a shift in wind direction on Friday shrouded the city in thick haze, the lingering scent of burning seemed to follow the displaced. Some arrived with minimal belongings, while others had only the clothes they were wearing. The park's facilities can accommodate approximately a thousand people, with mats laid out and folding tables and chairs set up for the continuous stream of arrivals. Outside, volunteers are busy unloading aid trucks, while others have arrived spontaneously to offer assistance, demonstrating a growing wave of solidarity amidst the unfolding crisis. France is battling two exceptionally large fires. The most significant is consuming the tourist-popular Cap-Ferret peninsula in the Arcachon Bay, where over 14,000 hectares have already been destroyed, prompting the evacuation of 110,000 people. A second, smaller fire near Biscarrosse has burned around 2,500 hectares. Combined, these fires have forced the evacuation of approximately 133,000 people in just two days, many of whom were tourists vacationing on the Atlantic coast. Authorities describe the Cap-Ferret fire as 'XXL' and 'voracious,' capable of jumping kilometers, with firefighters calling it 'off the charts' and worse than the major fires of 2022. For evacuees like 83-year-old Amélia, who drove herself from Arès after receiving an evacuation order, the scale of the disaster is deeply personal. Leaving behind her apartment of over forty years, her belongings, and a lifetime of memories, she now faces uncertainty while undergoing cancer treatment. Similarly, Frédéric and Michel, a retired couple evacuated from Andernos, described seeing 'a volcano' before their departure, highlighting the terrifying proximity of the flames.

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It was like a volcano.