A Canadair pilot describes helplessness in the face of a megafire in the Landes

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Before the eyes of the pilot, a wall of flames which is moving inexorably towards Biscarrosse (Landes). From the cockpit of his Canadair, he helplessly films the progress of the blaze. Alexandre Jauffret has a 19-year career, and yet this fire has gone beyond anything he could have imagined. "When you see that, you have the impression of seeing a monster, and of seeing, in addition, the night falling, the flames getting higher and higher... Everything that was advancing like that, it was unreal. We try to do our best until nightfall. But you feel so small", says the pilot, responsible for the group of Civil Security firefighting aircraft.

The fire devours everything in its path, even the Canadairs can do nothing about it. “He arrives in the city and you know that there are people who have left in the morning. The next day, they will return. There are many who have lost their homes,” he remembers. Megafires that follow one another, like in the Var. On board, Alexandre Jauffret observes flames 40 meters high. A vision of apocalypse: "These are fires which, once they have gained their energy, are uncontrollable. When you have a front of flames that is 7 km long, you are powerless. The fight is unequal, in fact. It's David against Goliath."

“We would never have imagined that one day we would go to the river Seine”

The fires are moving further and further north. For the first time, the pilot was involved in the Seine, a historic day for Civil Security. "For us, it's a body of water which is marked on our map. But which was almost, I would say, decorative. We would never have imagined that one day we would go to water in the Seine and that we would go to make fires at Fontainebleau", he assures.

Since June, the pilot has amassed 133 hours of flight time, double compared to the previous season. An intensity that worries those close to him. “My partner, she has been by my side for nine seasons, and this is the first year where I have seen her much more anxious. Because the pace is much higher. So that, for families too, I think it is something to take into account,” emphasizes Alexandre.

Because of climate change, will this extraordinary season become the new reality? To cope, pilots are calling for more planes and more trained personnel. Two new Canadairs will be delivered in 2028, before two additional aircraft in 2032.