European fires

You really do NOT want to know how some of the fires which were started deliberately (possibly in Italy) were actually started...

Yes it’s awful isn’t it, losing your home and neighbourhood to wildfires must be so distressing.
My DD amazed me yesterday by saying they’re thinking of booking a last minute holiday in Spain, the temperatures there!

ViceVersa

You really do NOT want to know how some of the fires which were started deliberately (possibly in Italy) were actually started...

Well I really do now that you’ve mentioned it….?

Fires in France in the summer months have always been common. On holiday in the South of France we would often see the Canadair planes scooping water from the Mediterranean to dump on the flames.
Living in France, every summer there were advertising campaigns on the television about avoiding barbecues and not throwing cigarette ends on the ground. What is new is the sheer size of the fires with tinder dry ground, winds and large forests.
It won't be back to normal for the Gironde; hundreds of properties have been destroyed. The exodus from Northern France to the South is at its height. Normally the change over of July and August holiday makers would be next weekend. It may be that the Aoûtiens will not go to their usual destinations.
It will be a disaster for the economy.

All those vineyards of Bordeaux ruined 😟.

Oreo

ViceVersa

You really do NOT want to know how some of the fires which were started deliberately (possibly in Italy) were actually started...

Well I really do now that you’ve mentioned it….?

No, you don't. Especially if you are an animal lover.

Double those Firefighters' salaries immediately. Over 70 firefighters have been injured.
The Pine forests on Bordeaux's borders seem to have acted like wood on a bonfire with Bordeaux as the Guy on the top.
Agree that advice on "how not to be careless" would be very useful to help prevent accidentally-started fires.
Don't think about the animals if you value your sanity.
Where does all that pain go ?
We're south of Bordeaux and currently greener because it rains more here. Note to self- don't complain about the rain.

Aveline

All those vineyards of Bordeaux ruined 😟.

Yep! 😫

I've heard that many rich Chinese businessmen have invested heavily in the vineyards of Bordeaux.

Labradora

Double those Firefighters' salaries immediately. Over 70 firefighters have been injured.
The Pine forests on Bordeaux's borders seem to have acted like wood on a bonfire with Bordeaux as the Guy on the top.
Agree that advice on "how not to be careless" would be very useful to help prevent accidentally-started fires.
Don't think about the animals if you value your sanity.
Where does all that pain go ?
We're south of Bordeaux and currently greener because it rains more here. Note to self- don't complain about the rain.

I think many of the sapeurs-pompiers are local volunteer firemen so many may have fears for their own villages and communes while out fighting fires on behalf of others.
French firefighters can be salaried professionals, but a large majority are volunteers
Sapeurs-pompiers professionnels are -time, salaried public servants who receive a regular monthly salary.
But Volunteers (Sapeurs-pompiers volontaires) make up roughly 80% of the French firefighting force. They are not traditional salaried employees, but they receive tax-free financial compensations and hourly allowances (indemnités horaires) for shifts, training, and call-outs.

It’s already happening in the UK. The Cairngorms in Scotland has been burning for days now, though we’ve had some rain and the firefighters are getting them under control at last. They must be exhausted, a friend’s partner has been going out day after day to firefight.

The smoke has been so bad that it reached offshore oil platforms miles out to sea, triggered their smoke & fire alarms and the platforms have had to shut down for safety reasons.