Local residents around the fire-threatened city of Bordeaux in France have lamented the changing climate and intensity of heatwaves which have fanned the frequency of wildfires in recent years, as authorities now face a crisis to bring the burning infernos which are encircling the city under control.
Since the fires broke out on July 22, the devastating blaze spreading across southwestern France has already scorched well over 40,000 hectares in the hard-hit Gironde department. Fire crews have poured in from across the country, but the flames are moving so fast that they have now overwhelmed local response capabilities.
Adding to the concern, France's national weather agency has forecast a renewed temperature surge which began Tuesday, with Bordeaux potentially seeing highs of 37 degrees Celsius later in the week.
The fires are tearing through the pine forests to the west of the city, forcing entire communities to flee their homes as firefighters work around the clock to hold back the advancing flames. The emergency has prompted large-scale evacuations of more than 250,000 people, including 220,000 in Gironde.
Jean, who has lived in the area his entire life, felt his heart sink as the land he calls home was being consumed by flames.
His brother and some of his cousins are among the teams of firefighters battling the blaze, many of whom have been on duty for two straight days without rest. Local farmers are also stepping up, using their own machinery to carve firebreaks through the woods.
Jean described his anguish at seeing his home under threat, as he also noted how extreme weather has been posing a bigger risk each summer.
"It was like mostly sadness, seeing the region I was born and raised into basically go up into flames. We've known for a long time that you have fires. It happens like almost every two years, or something like that. But something that big [is rare]," he said.
"When I was a kid, if you had a heatwave, it was 33 degrees [Celsius], or something like that and everyone was like, 'It's going to last a few days, don't stay too long in the sun.' That's it. Now it's like 40-plus [Celsius] and it's every year now, so it's obvious that something is happening," said Jean.
Many more have observed this troubling reality, with public policy and climate expert Aurelien Sebton warning that the extreme heat fueling these infernos is rapidly becoming the new normal.
"We must collectively understand that this world has changed, that this world is changing, and that what we thought was the future is now our present. We will have to make complete and systemic changes," he said.
"What seemed exceptional is now, unfortunately, the normality of the present, and that will be the normality of the future. The event we are experiencing at the moment is of exceptional strength, but it will no longer be exceptional because it will repeat itself over and over again. Fires, floods, droughts -- there are, in fact, the reality of our daily life now," said Sebton.
Bordeaux locals lament impact of climate change as raging wildfires wreak havoc
Bordeaux locals lament impact of climate change as raging wildfires wreak havoc
