Wildfires in France’s south-western Gironde department have forced evacuations and protective measures at strategically important defence and aerospace sites around Bordeaux, disrupting one of the country’s most important industrial clusters.
Among the affected companies are ArianeGroup, Dassault Aviation, Airbus Atlantic and missile-propulsion specialist Roxel.
The French Defence Ministry said 1,500 military personnel had been deployed since Saturday to support the emergency response. It added that “experts and resources” had been sent to help secure industrial sites in coordination with other government departments.
ArianeGroup, whose facilities in the area produce propulsion systems for Europe’s Ariane rockets and France’s M51 ballistic missiles, told AFP on Monday that the firm is in constant contact with both local and national authorities. The issues related to the protection of ArianeGroup sites are being addressed," the company told AFP.
French media TF1 reported that Roxel, a subsidiary of European missile manufacturer MBDA, operates at the high-risk industrial complex in Saint-Médard-en-Jalles, where it produces solid-propellant systems for tactical missiles. A few kilometres away, complexes belonging to Dassault, Safran, and Thales also appear vulnerable. Roxel told Le Monde that the necessary measures had been taken to protect its operations and employees, with support from the authorities.
