Wildfires in Europe: Fire spreads to Greece and Britain, and the Clooneys are evacuated from their French vineyard

The wildfires are beginning to be brought under control in France and Spain, and evacuees are slowly returning. A flare-up has been reported near Fontainebleau, the forest located 60 kilometers from Paris. However, the fires are spreading to other European countries, such as Great Britain, where a nuclear power plant in Suffolk is at risk, and to Greece, on the island of Crete, Paros, and the Peloponnese peninsula.

The director of the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre, Maria Zuber, warned on Wednesday that if the fires in Spain, Portugal, and France were not extinguished by the beginning of August, “all of Europe” could be ablaze. There is concern about the potential spread of new outbreaks in Greece, Italy, and Central Europe.

Arson in France

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced that, in recent weeks, law enforcement has made 275 arrests and 31 people have been taken into custody. The minister indicated that in 70% of cases the fires are deliberately set. More than 1,200 police officers and gendarmes have been deployed around the evacuated areas.

A firefighter walks alongside the flames in Gironde, France. Photo: Reuters

Five people have been arrested in recent days, mainly for thefts of jewelry and wine. The region produces some of the world’s finest wines. While these cases worry evacuated residents, authorities maintain that acts of vandalism remain very rare, thanks to the strong security presence deployed on the ground.

Fire under control in France

After a third night of relative calm on the front of the megafire that ravaged 42,000 hectares in the Gironde department and remained under control on Thursday, the prefecture authorized the immediate return to their homes of another 84,000 people and announced the reopening of the A63 motorway.

By Tuesday evening, 57,000 residents of Eysines, Mérignac, and Le Haillan had been authorized to return to their homes. In total, more than half of the 220,000 people evacuated since the fire broke out on July 22 are no longer subject to these preventative measures.

For eight days, mobilized firefighting teams battled an unprecedented blaze. Amid constant emergencies and life-threatening dangers, firefighters are now fighting countless flare-ups. There have been no civilian deaths, but three firefighters died in France, and 87 were injured.

One of the fires brought under control in Le Porge, Gironde. Photo: Reuters

Residents of nine municipalities northwest and south of Bordeaux are affected: Mios, Le Barp, Cestas, Saint-Jean-d’Illac, Martignas-sur-Jalles, Saint-Médard-en-Jalles, Saint-Aubin-du-Médoc, Salaunes, and Sainte-Hélène.

Thursday’s operations focused on treating the fire’s edges with tactical burns, also known as “controlled burns.” The goal is to deprive the fire of fuel so it doesn’t cross the “bike path,” taking advantage of the cooler morning temperatures.

More than 5 million FFP2 masks have been distributed to pharmacies to protect residents in France exposed to the smoke and hazardous particles from the massive Gironde fire. At least 2,660 elderly or disabled people who were evacuated have been rehoused in suitable facilities, according to the Ministry of Health.

The Heritage Foundation in France has launched an emergency fundraising campaign. In a press release, it announced the launch of a campaign to contribute to the preservation and restoration of natural heritage affected by the fires in Gironde and Landes.

“The funds raised will finance projects of general interest, such as reforestation and forest restoration,” the statement explains.

A Gironde mayor’s warning

The mayor of Biganos, Bruno Lafon, alerted President Emmanuel Macron to the need for “better forest management to limit fires.” He strongly criticized the gap between the proliferation of environmental regulations and the logging measures necessary to combat fire risks in Gironde.

“We can no longer manage our forests the way we used to. There are more people, more houses, and the climate has changed significantly compared to before. We need a larger and better-maintained firebreak, even if that means losing 1,000 or 2,000 hectares. And, on the other hand, we are saving the rest,” insisted the mayor, who also chairs the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region’s forest fire prevention association.

Bruno Lafon took the opportunity to criticize what he considers “a disconnect between certain high-ranking Parisian officials, environmentalists, and the reality experienced by those who know the land.”