This photo provided by the SDIS33 fire brigade shows a wildfire near the village of Saumos, southwestern France, Monday Sept.12, 2022.
WILDFIRES in south-western France have torn through over 1,000 hectares of land and forced the evacuation of residents amid record September temperatures.
Fires that began to rage on Monday caused the evacuation of over 500 people in the Gironde region and a smaller blaze burned near Dax, south of Bordeaux, where temperatures hit 39°C.
Strong winds hampered the efforts of hundreds of firefighters, who struggled to put out the flames throughout the night with little success. The fires have so far remained uncontained.
When it comes to extreme weather events, from wildfires to flash floods, it’s firefighters who are on the front line of defence, but services have been cut to the bone, and government is not taking seriously its responsibility for the environment, says STEVE WRIGHT