On holiday near wildfires - WTF to do?

[thetinsoldier]

We’re in Bordeaux, 40k from the fires. It’s really smoky, the sun is covered by smoke and it’s really quite scary. Have spoken to neighbours and they say the smoke is just being blown this way, we’re not in danger, but it’s horrible and scary.

What would you do??

If I could smell the smoke, I'd leave. £5K holiday or not.
My Dsis was caught in forest fire in France about 20yrs ago - they tried to drive out from their campsite and got caught in a traffic jam. At one point she phoned my mum thinking she was going to die because she could see fire on 3 sides of her. They got out safely- but 2 people on her camp site tragically died. The campsite was burned to ashes.
I would never wait after my DSis's experience.

Dunno how quickly this is updated but might be useful. The area on fire near Bordeaux looks huge. It says uk fire tracker but the France one appears to be showing up?

https://ee-eif-uni-of-strathclyde.projects.earthengine.app/view/scotland-wildfire-tracker

I'm in Australia and have never been near bushfire. BUT. The smoke itself is reason to leave, or at least stay indoors with closed windows while you assess the situation and make up your minds @thetinsoldier.

If you can see it, you shouldn't be breathing it.

All the best, OP.

If this was me I would be calling my 24hr insurance helpline and asking about whether they will pay out if you leave voluntarily

Unless you want to drive several hours away tonight and plan a whole new holiday, this one is a bust.

You won't enjoy it, spending your days scanning news websites and apps and on tenterhooks for an emergency alert.

Pack the car, put everyone in it and go to the airport and make a plan with your relative. You can't stay near Bordeaux now so you need a new holiday or go home.

Better to lose 5K than your life.

That's really interesting. What is your exact location?

Quite honestly, I don't really see the real importance of all this talk about insurance covering them leaving.

Yes, of course it would be good to get something back, but surely you leave because you judge it to be necessary, not because you can get a pay-out.

If they say they won't pay out then what? You stay feeling uncomfortable and not enjoying the holiday anyway - and potentially getting in a dangerous situation?

Well I suppose the point is that if insurance will cover the lost holiday then OP won’t have to weigh up the risk vs the loss of money/holiday. It will make the decision a no brainer.

Of course many would say that the decision is a no brainer anyway but if OP is being told she’s safe by local sources, and doesn’t know whether she can get a refund or alternative holiday, then I can see it’s a tricky call.

France has 1000s of wildfires every year, tho not like the year round infernos in Aus, they’re relatively well organised and well equipped.

Yes exactly.

Forewarned is forearmed and all that, at least OP will know what it will cost them if they want to cut the holiday short.

Now glued to firemap on the back of this thread- I didnt realise the fire is east of Bordeaux so cutting it off from the coast.
its a bit scary looking at the blobs all over Europe- the whole of Sicily seems to be ablaze!

It rained a little bit today and will be cooler for a couple of days, but it's set to be 39 degrees again on Wednesday and fires will be coming up all over the place again. Download the feux de forêts app and keep your ear to the ground.

Yes I see what you mean up to a point but I'd see money paid for a location I was uncomfortable in as wasted. I'd rather drive and sit in the car at very little extra cost ... That fire near Bordeaux looks huge.

I think I’d head to Brittany and try and get very near the sea

France is well prepared for wildfires, even moreso since 2022.

It’s only money. It’s not worth your life, get the fu k out of there fast.

You can always go back if it is miraculously under control in a few days.

Yep.

You could consider driving north OP, somewhere like La Rochelle and wait for them to get it under control. May only take a couple of days.

Re the insurance, the thing about calling the Travel Insurers' 24/7 Emergency Line isn't about retrieving money spent on a holiday cut short, it's about verifying what is in place as a safety net should the family have no choice but to leave their rental property because of the fire.

The insurers will have an agreement in place by now with alternative accommodation, such as a hotel away from the fire.

The insurers will be offering options allowing clients to continue their holidays, so it's important to verify what these are by calling in.

In the Australian summer of 2019, my sister's home burnt down to the ground within 30 minutes of them leaving. Of course everyone has an evacuation plan and bags, which she grabbed along with the dogs and her husband, he was reluctant to leave and the last in the car. Two people, a father and son, died in the nearest village.

Terrifying.

Their work garage and studio close to the house stood without so much as a scorch mark.

Trust your instincts.

It's a cell broadcast, it reaches all the phones in that zone, even foreign ones with a foreign SIM.

It does not reach switched off phone, or the ones on plane mode.

It also doesn't saturate the network.

Just looking at photos.

Not to derail the thread, but firefighters are so brave; the scenes are terrifying.

While some people debate whether or not to flee, and at what point, they have to head right in.

Anyone with friends and family who are firefighters needs to reiterate to them what an incredible job they do.

Really? Where are you?

We’re just outside Bordeaux and the air is much fresher and cooler now than it was earlier. No smell of smoke.

We are north of the Gironde, 100km from the fire and the sky went black this evening. It smells of smoke outside.

It isn't a holiday at this point op. At best, it's a lucky escape. But I really don't think you are going to be having the relaxing time you went for. Sometimes we just have to accept fate has out-manoeuvred us.

I think in your position and having a car, I would relocate to a safe distance and see where things get to in the next 48 hours.

I live in the US somewhere where there are wildfires every summer and have been a big problem for much longer than it seems in Europe. I don’t know if the European authorities are not as on it but where we are, they closely monitor wind direction and forecast and post very conservative evacuation warnings so if you’re not under warning, you’re fine. We do have a lot of mountains and hills which can mean the fire can be pretty close (one was about 3 miles away when I was a kid and we were only on a “get set” order because it was the other side of a road and wind direction was away). We also have large parts of our state currently with “ unhealthy” air in the red zone due to smoke from fire 500 miles away in Canada. So air quality doesn’t really tell you much! 40km with no evac order seems quite far though so unless the French are rubbish at forecasting wind changes, I would stay 🤷‍♀️.