UA new fire has already destroyed more than 3,500 hectares in Gironde, after starting from the village of Saumos in the south of the Médoc. This disaster, which has already led to the evacuation of more than 800 people, brings to the surface a painful memory: that of a summer undermined by fires. In Gironde, the municipalities, farmers, forest owners, tourism professionals and individuals have not finished calculating the costs of the damage caused by the fires of July and August that we must already begin to manage the consequences of that fire. The firefighters did the math: in July (the fires had started on the 12th), each intervention cost between 750,000 and one million euros, reports a spokesperson, Éric Brocardi, at the Parisian. And that’s just the commitment cost. With the cost of food, accommodation, material losses… The bill is skyrocketing.
Indeed, as Éric Brocardi explains, to the basic invoice are added the burnt intervention vehicles. In July, firefighters lost 40 machines, some costing up to 300,000 euros (for large trucks), others 50,000 euros (for 4x4s). These 2,000 firefighters, who were mobilized all summer, also had to be housed and fed. This, despite the help of the population, has directly impacted the municipalities. In Louchats, for example, Mayor Philippe Carreyre told the Parisian have already had to reimburse 30,000 euros for the costs incurred. And not just for food, but also to pay the farmers who came to lend a hand. He still has 100,000 euros worth of bills on his hands. But the state should help him.
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Small forest owners in great difficulty
In tourism, professionals have also paid a high price. Forced to close, for their safety and that of their customers, they were unable to resume normal activity when the forests and beaches reopened. Some campsites were completely destroyed.
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Those who risk paying a heavy price are the small forest owners, who are not insured against fires, and who have seen their massifs sometimes go up in smoke.
Note that these first figures are only partial estimates. The August invoice is being calculated. And that of September, if the fires become widespread, may also take a long time.