People have been emailing me asking about the fires. We are safe; but there are a lot of fires. On the one hand, fires are not unusual in this region. In August. But these started in early July. And it is really dry.
A few years ago (2016 I think) Walter flew in to Barcelona and then rented a car from there rather than flying into Paris and renting (or taking a second flight and renting in Toulouse). He drove through the blackened landscape of the Pyrénées with fire still smoldering in places, sending pictures of an eerie landscape a little less dramatic than the one here, but certainly other worldly and vaguely threatening.
But this year has been extreme with heat waves in full force by early June. Early July saw the Trévillach fire in the foothills of the Pyrénées 20 km from Perpignan, the largest in the region for 50+ years (according to La Monde), burning more than 4,600 hectares (11,366 acres ). For a time the A9 motorway, the main route between France and Spain, was closed between Narbonne and Perpignan, with secondary roads also closed. In addition to causing the evacuation of over 10,000 people, it led to Tour de France organizers “urging” spectators to stay away from the 40 km at the conclusion of the 3rd stage, ending in Les Angles. “An exceptional fire calls for exceptional measures” the Tour director told the BBC.
But it was not the only exceptional fire. Early July also saw fire in the Fontainebleau forest south of Paris, destroying almost 5,000 acres (2,000+ hectares) of woodland. More seriously, early July also saw fires in Spain. One in Andalusia near Los Gallardos, impacted 70 square kilometers (27 square miles) of forest and farmland, killed 13 people, injured 17, and left 10 people missing. More than 1,600 residents were evacuated (AP, reported on News Channel 3).
Everyone is nervous
Fireworks were cancelled across France (no surprise), along with the usual torch-light (with fire brands) parade around the ramparts that typically ends the Cordes-sur-Ciel Medieval Festival. Sadly, Cordes’ much anticipated — and much advertised — July 14 “Bal des Pompiers” (“Fireman’s Ball”) with its fire eater, live music and DJ, and massive communal paella was also cancelled (technically it is postponed until after fire season, but when is that?). The mayor said the firefighters need to be ready in case they are called to put out a fire, not busy with the fundraising “ball.” The temperature was also hovering around 40ºC (over 100ºF), which might have cramped people’s fun a bit. I suspect locals will donate more in return for the ubiquitous firefighter’s calendar this year, to compensate and signal much felt gratitude to our firefighters.
The fires have continued through three heat waves, with late-July seeing fires lasting several days around Castres, 29 miles from us (but separated by rivers and plateau), and smaller fires even closer that did not make the map (including at Vaour and Castelnau-de-Montmiral, both less than 10 miles away). The map to the left is a live interactive map that shows satellite images of fires in real time. allowing users to zoom in to a region and click on individual fires for details. Although less dramatic in design than the featured map, I find it more overwhelming. There are so many fires, not just in France and Spain but also around the Alps, and in England and Scotland. Some beautiful countryside and forest is being lost along with crops, houses, and livelihoods.
Of course, the huge fire near Bordeaux in the Gironde region is the most concerning one in France right now (the stack of red flames on the map to the left). So far, (July 28), 220,000 people have been evacuated across the Gironde, with small villages destroyed. As I write this, many of the smaller fires that make up the burn area are not yet under control.
Risk from Smoke
The New York Times is worried about the wine, noting that smoke damage is potentially the most harmful for grapes between ripening and harvesting. Which is now. And, of course, that region does not need any more economic challenges. The loss of the vines themselves will be devastating for the wine industry. But let’s get the fires out and people to safety before we worry about that?
The concern of the New York Times about the destructive nature of smoke is a serious issue though. After the Stage 3 decision, some people criticized the Tour organizers for subjecting the cyclists to smoke inhalation in addition to the 44ºC temperatures, with the Cycling Week article summarizing the risks, but also pointing out that the Tour is also an industry. It can be rerouted and even shortened when necessary, but only if another route is available and only at great cost to sponsors and the areas it passes through . . .
That smoke is no joke. The image on the right is the air quality map for July 26, with Mouzieys on the edge of the “very poor” area. Villeneuve-sur-Lot in the middle of the purple “extremely poor” area is closest to the southeastern-most Bordeaux fire, but close enough to us that we sometimes take the Paris train from Cahors on the most eastern end of the purple area.
When I drove to the Cordes market on Saturday the valley was covered with a smokey haze that I thought was mist, the precursor to the clouds in the valley that give “Cordes-sur-Ciel” it’s name. The valley itself was clear, but on the plateau there was enough smoke for us to close the windows and forgo a very rare cool evening siting outside. My allergies kicked in and I regretted not pulling out an old covid mask as my friends in NY and NJ are doing. Alex said the air smelled as if the baker had burned the flour. To me it smelled more as if someone was burning garden waste, which is what I thought it was until we realized there was way too much smoke and looked at the official website (above).
People are on edge
So far, the same official incendieencours website has recorded 17 fires in the Tarn region, although none large enough to prompt evacuation orders. People are on edge. As we were walking away from the “Rock en Ver” festival on Friday, a woman stopped her car and yelled at my nephew because she thought he threw a potentially smoldering cigarette butt into the dead grass at the side of the road. She demanded that he turn on his flashlight and help her look for it. Her fear is not unfounded. The Tarn is in the area of “elevated risk of fire” according to the French weather office, who note that “The fire risk may be very high in some areas.”
We had light rain for a few hours yesterday and it was cooler and blessedly smoke free. Over by Vaour they got a real soaking (which is great), but tomorrow promises poor air in a corridor all the way from the Pyrénées to the English Chanel. And temperatures back above 100ºF. With no more rain predicted in the near future, the fire trucks at Castelnau-de-Montmiral apparently out of commission, and Vaour only having one truck, I heard a rumor today that the Vaour Festival scheduled for early August might have to be cancelled. Maybe it was a fear not a rumor, but if there was a fire it is hard to imagine all those cars being able to get off the plateau in an orderly fashion — or even people being able to get from the festival over to their cars.
To paraphrase the Tour, “exceptional fire [risk] calls for exceptional measures”
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service points out that “Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s.” As we move forward, we will be forced to develop ways to avoid or deal with fires and smoke, and new ways of growing fruit, vegetables, and crops; and/or to hope new plants whose pollen does not become sterile at 87ºF can be found or bred.
The land we are stewarding is changing faster than we can develop ways to respond.
