We had a field and copse alight just up the road here in Descartes yesterday and now seeing film of huge fires down south, must be terrifying.
We have a few as well.
There’s big fire in @Shiba ‘s departement near Canet-en-Roussillon and two in the Aude, where I am, Pouzolles-Minervois and the far side of Narbonne from us. We can see smoke blowing out to sea.
Horrible. There were awful awful fires every summer in my home département when I was growing up.
It’s just so sad, all the flora and fauna that are affected. The worst thing is hearing that fire chiefs think 80-90% of fires are started by humans, things like out of control BBQs or cigarette butts thrown out of car windows.
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We had a prohibition on ICE cars travelling on forest roads during the last canicule. But stupidity and carelessness is more of a risk.
I had a narrow escape about 10 days ago. It was a good lesson to learn. You have to keep your guard up and take precautions all the time. Because in this weather there are no second chances. It’s amazing how it can literally immediately get out of control and fire leaping everywhere.
Fortunately there was still green about when mine took off and I had buckets of well water ready to hand with which to make sure. But there were some nasty moments.
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What were you doing?
I’ve just had the place débusaged again, but looking at the Marseilles situation, which isn’t that far away, I’m going to make a list of what I’ll grab is if have to do a runner. I’m also going to video each room to help with the insurance claim 
We had major fires here in 2011 but the regeneration was amazing. Fires are part of the natural cycle of things
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Yes, straight along the road a few kms to the beach from me but far enough away not to be caught up in it. The huge plume of smoke went out to sea and not towards me or my family in the neighbouring communes. Shame about the camp site as there will be people arriving for the annual holiday this weekend. It’s tinder dry and yet people still throw dog ends out of car windows or leave glass bottles lying about plus the fact the pseudo pompiers are about too.
I keep two hosepipes connected and the water turned on outside in the summer. The communes have been very busy everywhere here cutting back verges and branches and public spaces so the vegetation is very short. We have a lot of bamboo plantations here all along the main roads and I noticed how neat and tidy they are kept but they do their job too in keeping floods down when it rains heavy here on the plain of Rousillon.
They can be, I agree, but not when 80-90% of them are started by human beings.
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Yes, arsonists in many cases wishing or who already are pompiers so they can enjoy their moment of glory or just like seeing fires. They used to catch a lot of people like that up in Bretagne each summer, all with psychiatric problems and a love of fires and putting them out
That’s really sick, isn’t it?
Unfortunately it happens and they usually get caught in the end because they can’t help themselves and revel in it. Most of them just want to put out fires but we all know it does not happen that easily and folks get killed or their property gone forever. Last night I shed tears watching the 20h main news at that poor young man in your region who showed his burned out tractor and vines, he said he could never start again.
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That’s so sad. You’d think the government might help but I don’t know what the rules are.
OH just saw something on BFM about the fire in Canet reaching the port and burning a couple of buildings and some boats. It sounds frightening.
Yes it was shown on the news last night, a boat workshop and some expensive motor boats tied up in the marina. We go for walks round there sometimes, exclusive apartments are nearby and there are millions of euros in property and and boat stuff there.
They used to whizz through and singe and not be so destructive, but since probably the 1940s there are no more grazing and browsing animals clearing the ground, the fires really take hold and destroy everything. I’ve seen pins parasols explode, I used to go out with the fire brigade when I was a student and worked on local radio in summer. And the smell is awful.
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Precisely why we shouldn’t listen to the vegans.
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@hairbear I hope you aren’t affected by fires at the moment. I looked at the feuxdeforet.fr website and it doesn’t work the way I remember without me taking a subscription. Am I using the wrong site?
What a pathetic comment.
As has already been said, a vast amount of animals that exist to supply the overeating of meat are housed away from sight in atrocious conditions.
Natural grazing by wild animals is surely a better option?
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