‘It could have been us. It gives you faith in humanity’: Volunteer describes the solidarity behind Gironde wildfire response

As firefighters continue to battle the wildfire affecting Gironde and Landes, a different kind of mobilisation is taking place away from the flames. 

At Bordeaux's Parc des Expositions, thousands of volunteers, associations and public services have worked together to support people forced to leave their homes. 

Among them was Marine Brugalières, a 28-year-old Bordeaux lawyer who spent a shift helping organise emergency supplies for evacuated residents. 

“I wanted to be useful, to support people whose daily lives have already been difficult for some time,” she told The Connexion. “What I can give, and what has no price, is my time and my energy.” 

Ms Brugalières signed up to help after seeing the call for volunteers from Bordeaux Métropole. She was assigned to the logistics team at the Parc des Expositions, where evacuees were welcomed and donations were collected. 

Her role was mainly sorting and preparing supplies. “There were huge quantities of donations,” she said. “A person from Bordeaux Métropole told us there were no fewer than 200,000 bottles of water that had been given by different shops and organisations.” 

It was this scale of public generosity that surprised her. “I was struck by the amount of donations. It was quite extraordinary,” she said. “It was also really touching to see all these people who gave without thinking twice.” 

The response was so large that Bordeaux Métropole had to suspend calls for additional material donations. More than 10,000 tonnes of goods were collected and transported to the Parc des Expositions, with teams now focused on sorting, storing and distributing supplies where they are needed. 

Margot Pinsolles, press officer for Bordeaux Métropole, said the volunteer response had been exceptional.

“There have been more than 10,000 registrations from volunteers,” she told The Connexion. “It shows a very strong mobilisation.”

“On site, we have around 100 volunteers rotating every eight hours.” 

Volunteers helped with logistics, sorting donations, distributing meals, cleaning, providing information and assisting people at the reception centre.

“It is very real meeting people you probably would never have met in your normal lives,” Ms Brugalières said.

She was also moved by the atmosphere among volunteers working long hours.

“Even when it is 23:30 and you are still making pallets, when it feels like it will never end, there are moments of laughter and people helping each other.”

“To see that everyone participates in this effort is touching and reassuring,” she said. “It gives you faith in humanity.”

“These people could have been us, our families, our loved ones.”

Associations prepare for the next phase

While some evacuated residents have begun returning home as fire conditions improve, associations say support will continue long after that.

The French charity Secours Populaire Français provided food, water, hygiene products, books and games to emergency accommodation centres during the first stage of the crisis.

Vincent Bordas, director of the Gironde branch of the organisation, said the next challenge would be helping people rebuild their lives.

“Even when the fire is extinguished, solidarity will need to continue,” he told The Connexion.

The association expects future needs to include help with housing, insurance procedures and access to support services.

“We know that even when the fire is out, difficulties will continue,” he said. “People will need help recovering their rights, finding accommodation and returning to a dignified life.”

For people wanting to continue helping, he encouraged donations rather than sending more physical goods, which can quickly become difficult to manage.

“Material donations quickly become a logistical burden, whereas financial donations allow us to choose how to help and when,” he said.

Finally, while for now they already have a strong response from volunteers, he added that foreign residents are always welcome to get involved as, according to him, “solidarity does not stop at the language barrier.”