‘We slept on the beach’: locals flee wildfires in south of France
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The wildfires that began on Tuesday night near the popular holiday spot of Bormes-les-Mimosas in southern France forced 10,000 people to evacuate their homes and hotels. FRANCE 24 spoke to shocked locals and holidaymakers about their ordeal.
The alarm was raised in the middle of the night in Bormes-les-Mimosas, after the fires that have already devastated the tinder dry region broke out near their village.
"The fire alarm rang out during the night, around 1am," Olivier Hertel, who was on holiday at Gaou-Cap Bénat, told FRANCE 24. "Friends and family started calling us telling us to get out, so we took the car and headed to the beach."
#Incendie Gaou, Cap Benat, Bormes les Mimosas. Évacuation. Nuit sur la plage. #feudeforet pic.twitter.com/RkaedroO81
— Olivier Hertel (@OlivierHertel) July 26, 2017
Hundreds took refuge on the beach that night, including campers from a local site that was also evacuated.
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Hertel and his family spent the night in their sleeping bags, watching from afar the terrifying spectacle of a fire intensifying, fanned by strong winds.
"There were lots people sleeping in their cars, some found rooms in emergency shelters provided by the local government," Olivier added.
Locals raise alarm
Parisian holidaymaker Renaud and his family fled their home in Cap Bénat in the middle of the night, alerted to the danger by a friend and locals honking their horns.
"We went to Le Lavandou, where we were sheltered in a restaurant that opened especially for all the evacuees,” Renaud said. “We slept in chairs and the owners kindly gave us croissants and coffee this morning."
#incendie 7h20 largages Tracker au dessus du Gaou/Cap Benat à Bormes les Mimosas. Vent environ 15-25 nœuds pic.twitter.com/vC7pG48tm7
— Olivier Hertel (@OlivierHertel) July 26, 2017
Early in the morning, the situation remained critical on the front lines of the fire. "The fire was still raging at 7am this morning," Olivier said. "Planes made several passes over the Gaou-Cap Bénat to drop water bombs to battle the flames."
Olivier was able get to Cap Bénat on foot via small roads. He saw the fire taking hold again around mid-morning, but fortunately it was held back the now actively mobilised water bombers. With evident relief, Olivier told FRANCE 24 that his house has escaped the devastation and remains intact.
Renaud now just wants to get home to Paris as soon as possible. But by the end of the morning, all access to Cap Bénat was closed for security reasons.
"We expected to spend two or three days far from home," Renaud reported, still in shock from a night that he will unlikely forget.
#incendie Reprise de feu vers le Cap Benat. Bormes les Mimosas #feudeforet pic.twitter.com/qjPH5uS9J9
— Olivier Hertel (@OlivierHertel) July 26, 2017
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