The pine-scented Lake Biscarosse in south-west France holds a special place in my heart: it’s where my daughter so enjoyed splashing in the shallows that she learned to swim. Like many other families, we had a dreamy time amid dappled shade and a chorus of crickets.
Now, though, the pines are burned and the land charred. It’s ghastly, even from a distance, to see campsites empty and homes destroyed. Many lives have been shattered, along with visions of sunny holidays, as heavy firefighting machinery replaces tents and picnic tables.
Even as a former BBC science editor, it’s been hard to wrap my head around how this hugely popular region of France has just experienced the country’s largest-ever peacetime exodus.
Shorts
A staggering quarter of a million people have had to flee.
