Heatwave number four swept through France this week. The temperature hit 42C in some regions, including in the south-west, where firefighters have been trying to save Bordeaux for more than a week. The wildfire, which started about 22 miles west of the city, has claimed the lives of two firefighters, left dozens injured and burned more than 42,000 hectares. It has also led to the evacuation of more than 250,000 people, many of whom were tourists. Among those who have fled are George Clooney and his family, who have left their home in Provence in what the actor described ‘as this terrible moment’. At the start of the week the prefecture for the south-west region asked holidaymakers to stay away. The advice has been heeded. Only 45 per cent of the region’s hotel rooms are booked for August. The fear for many in southern France is that tourists will stay away, not just this year but permanently.
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It’s not only the south-west of the country that has been ravaged by fires this summer. In Provence, more than 4500 hectares were lost to flames in a fire that lasted eight days and prompted the evacuation of 5,000 people from some of the most picturesque villages in the area between the Mediterranean Sea and the Verdon Gorge. There have also been significant fires in the Landes – Basque country, which includes the seaside resort of Biarritz – and on the island of Corsica, another favourite holiday destination. The north of the country has largely avoided any major wildfire. The most destructive was in the forest of Fontainebleau, south of Paris, where around 2,000 hectares were lost to fire earlier this month.
