Fire!
A Dramatic Display
CLIMATE CHANGE SEASONS
7/7/20255 min read
Although the heat has abated somewhat for the moment, temperatures remain high, and our thoughts turn towards the risk of fire. Wild fires in different parts of Europe now feature in the news, and the vegetation is tinder dry. What's more, the department of Hérault has just issued a map of those areas which are most at risk. These are all in the south, around the coast, where the tourist population swells. Here, all access to the forest is banned, and any work that needs to be done should be completed before midday. Our area of forest is just within the next area of (amber) alert, where people are strongly advised not to tread. We take comfort that we have done what we can to keep our land clean, but when you live in the middle of a forest, you need to remain alert. I take comfort from the fact that the départment's fire fighting team has a base at the maison forestière, and we often see their bright yellow fire fighting trucks with giant hoses, parked outside. And then there are the Canadair, the firefighting aircraft that take to the skies above us . In sumer we often hear their familiar drone, and can sometimes locate the position of a local fire as they head towards Lac Salagou to pick up water, and then return. We have lived here for twenty three years. For sure, forest fire is a risk. But there are nearly 14 million hectares of forest in France , so the odds of it actually happening close to us are small. The biggest risk comes from human beings, who may carelessly drop a lighted cigarette, or stupidly light a barbecue in the forest. 9/10 fires are caused this way. Of course, all fires are forbidden, as this notice near to our house would indicate ...but then...!
On Thursday we had a call from Chantier Allemand to say our boat was ready for collection, so on Friday we undertook the reverse journey, in order to collect it. After parking our car at Grau d'Agde, we watched as our boat was lowered into the dock, all clean now, and smartly painted.
We headed back up river towards the Round Lock at Agde. We had passed this way only a few days earlier. Here boats can proceed through a third set of lock gates in order to leave or rejoin the Canal du Midi from the sea, via the lower reaches of the River Hérault.
Today was a little cooler, and as we left the canal to cross the étang on our final stretch, the breezes off the water were delightful. Today's return journey was going to be much pleasanter. It felt strange though, for this vast expanse of water lay deserted. There was not a yacht, pleasure craft or even fishing boat in sight. Whilst trains and beaches are filling up with tourists, very few people seem to be on the water . Actually, it felt good to have this whole expanse of water to ourselves, and while B. steered towards Mont St Clair above Sète at the far end of this vast inland sea, I lay back in the open air, and relaxed. Yes Ratty...you were quite right...there is nothing quite like boating.
I closed my eyes, enjoying this period of relaxation after the strain of negotiating locks, and worrying about the heat. Suddenly Brian woke me from my reverie. "Look !" he shouted. "Canadair! " For sure, I spotted four planes skimming over the water , then rising in tandem and soaring over head. "They're probably doing a manoeuvre," I shouted . We have seen this before down on the coast. Canadair come there to practise their routines, skimming low over the sea to scoop up water, and returning to drop their load, before practising anew. That was clearly what these planes were doing now. It was an impressive sight.
But no! Suddenly I realised that this was no practice routine. This fire was for real. As we looked towards the northern shore of the étang we saw great plumes of smoke rising from the hills above, which grew thicker and darker as our journey continued.
The noise of the aircraft grew louder as we progressed, and we watched in awe as they circled around us. They had descended to scoop up water, rising again in tandem and soaring over our boat before turning back towards the fire to drop their loads. It felt like our own private air display, but of course this was no entertainment; it was serious.
We left the Canadair behind , still fighting the fire. We passed Sète and entered the canal du Rhône. Very soon we were tying up at our own mooring. Just one problem remained. The breezes from the étang had dropped, and the heat was becoming stifling once more. How were we going to get back to our car without succumbing to the heat? This time we had a safe solution. We had obtained the contact details of Pascale, our Guardian angel taxi driver , whom I wrote about in my last blog. Within an hour he had come to collect us to transport us safely, and coolly , all the way back to our car which we had left at the boatyard in Grau d'Agde. For once, the expense of a taxi ride was well worth it. When we were safely home again, we sought news of the fire. It had occurred near to a large wind farm by the town of Villeveyrac. This is close to the scenic route that we normally take when going to our boat. Fortunately, although over 200 hectares were burned, this was confined to a large unpopulated area of garrigue. It is strongly suspected that this fire was deliberately created. By the late evening it had been successfully extinguished thanks to local teams of 180 firefighters, and those magnificent Canadair pilots. We will keep our fingers tightly crossed for the weeks ahead.
