The Damage Is Done, We Have Nothing Left

Thousands of residents and vacationers evacuated from the path of a massive wildfire in Gironde have been cleared to return to Lège-Cap-Ferret, including the tourist-heavy peninsula, and Le Porge on Monday, except for campsites, the prefecture said. The fire is now considered "fixed. In Le Porge, where more than 180 homes burned, some residents feel neglected by authorities in favor of Cap-Ferret.

"We are abandoned, said Olivier, a lifelong resident, on RTL. "The damage is done, we have nothing left. No more forest, no more houses, nothing.

Alain Rousset, president of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, dismissed any "conspiracy, saying the residents' "real distress" must be understood. In the Var, firefighters are racing to contain flare-ups as "very unfavorable" conditions are expected in the afternoon. "The fire did not progress overnight, and ground teams continued treating the edges and extinguishing hot spots, said Stéphane Nepper, a fire service spokesman.

The blaze, which started Friday south of the large fire near the Gros Bessillon massif, has scorched about 1,800 hectares and threatened several villages, whose residents were evacuated for part of the weekend but have since returned home. Meanwhile, efforts continue in Gironde, Var, and Aude to prevent any virulent resurgence of fires."