They monitored sensitive points, provided medical support and took over in the forest. The 36 firefighters from Hauts-de-France left as reinforcements to fight the fires in Gironde, are back this Saturday evening. Among them are 12 firefighters from the North and 11 firefighters from Pas-de-Calais.
The tide turned, and the fire came back to us…
For eight days, they took turns to provide 96 hours of guard duty. Like many others, Corporal Théo Vanneste, from the Roubaix Intervention and Rescue Center, was pleasantly surprised by the welcome of his fellow firefighters on site, but also of residents and local elected officials. “Some mayors slept in churches, on the ground. They were there to help us, it was a very nice cohesion. People would have given everything they had to help us.”
Captain Joachim Correa is one of only two firefighters in the North to be trained in forest fires. He intervened on the front, in La Teste-de-Buch and in Landiras. “It was a huge intervention. When I was given the camping sector, the tide turned, and the fire came back on us with incredible force and very, very quickly. It was the first time that I I was confronted with this violence. I was slightly burned and the car was slightly damaged.”
Among the memories that will remain etched in this commanding officer and head of the Cambrai centre, “a lady who took turns hugging us because the house she had built with her husband, with their own hands, was spared”. Some firefighters are preparing to resume their guards in the North on Monday. All say they are ready to leave if necessary. A new team could be sent to Gironde, the decision must be taken by Tuesday.