‘It felt like being in a disaster movie’: uncertainty after evacuation from France’s Gironde wildfire
Residents in France's Gironde region describe the fear and uncertainty of being evacuated as massive wildfires threaten their homes. The blaze has caused significant destruction, forcing over 200,000 people to flee in one of the largest evacuations in modern French history.
Why it matters
Large-scale evacuations due to climate-driven disasters highlight the human cost and social disruption caused by extreme weather events.
Evacuees at the exhibition centre in Bordeaux. Evacuees at the exhibition centre in Bordeaux. France ‘It felt like being in a disaster movie’: uncertainty after evacuation from France’s Gironde wildfire Residents describe their fear as they were forced to leave their homes because of the ‘extremely intense’ blaze
Angelique Chrisafis in Bordeaux Mon 27 Jul 2026 12.13 EDT Last modified on Mon 27 Jul 2026 12.53 EDT Share Prefer the Guardian on Google S itting in their suburban apartment in Mérignac on the outskirts of Bordeaux, Krishma, an interpreter, and her husband, Nassir, first felt a sense of dread when a strange black cloud turned the sky dark in the middle of the day. Then a bitter burning smell filled the air outside.
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