Three days after the express evacuation of Cazaux (Gironde), near the Pyla dune, the time for a reunion has finally arrived between the animals who remained there after the fire and their owners. It is 2:30 p.m., Saturday July 16, the first convoy organized by the town hall and associations starts from the La-Teste-de-Buch exhibition center in the direction of the village. “We’ll do pets, maybe donkeys, maybe horses, goats, what do I know?”, jokes one of the logistics managers like a Noah in front of his ark.
>>> Fires in Gironde: follow the evolution of the situation live
Christelle is at the head of the line. Fourteen short kilometers to cover, but a lot of questions in mind: “I dread the landscape, in fact, because I don’t know what to expect with what we see on TV or on social networks. I still look forward to seeing at home.”
On the horizon, Christelle’s house finally takes shape. Relief, she is intact. But in front of the door, anxiety rises. The casaline searches for her keys, fails to deactivate her alarm and even loses the names of her three cats, whom she has come to retrieve: “Aloe, Milka and… I lost”. At first glance, the animals do not appear in the house. Only Aloé ends up coming out of her hiding place in the garden, no trace of the other two.
Christine sets up a strategy to attract them: “So there, I put kibble everywhere, bowls of water that I will put all around the house, where they usually go”. But the menacing fires still the village, she doesn’t have time to wait for her two cats. Back in the car, ten minutes flat after arriving at the scene. Christelle says to herself “a little stressed not being able to stay at my house, having closed the door until now, I don’t know.” UA household has just set off again on the road to Cazaux. “What bothers me is that, the smoke I see.” Faced with flames and smoke, the convoys ceased for two hours before resuming later in the evening. In total, 300 families were able to find their animals this Saturday thanks to this extraordinary operation, in the heart of the fires.