French firefighters face 'pyrocumulonimbus' for first time

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Jul 27, 2026, 5:21 AM UTC

ornornor wrote: post #135

derekdahmer wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Climate change is real and contributes to this but there have been massive fires in this region for over a century - primarily from the artificially planted Maritime Pine forests. The 1940s were particularly bad. Look up the Great Fire of 1949.

Never on that scale. This is unprecedented. France asked other EU members for help as the firefighters are overwhelmed and the fire uncontrollable. There hasn’t been an evacuation this large since WW2 (300k people displaced so far, 0.5% of the country’s population) This isn’t a “it’s summer, and fires burn” type of a deal. Even though most fires are set by idiots on purpose, it spreads so well because everywhere is d…

Post by kQq9oHeAz6wLLS » Mon, Jul 27, 2026, 5:27 AM UTC

reco98gg wrote: post #140

Dibby053 wrote: post #57

For context on why this region is burning so easily: the Landes and Médoc are huge, artificial pine forests created in the 19th century under Napoleon III to drain and reclaim what was considered an inhospitable wetland, where shepherds famously walked around on stilts. Pine resin and needle litter makes it exceptionally flammable, and being an uninterrupted monoculture on flat land it lacks natural barriers to stop…

The main reason the forest is burning is global warming. There were 3 punishing heatwaves before the fire, it was just a matter of time. A part of the Fontainebleau forest, much more north, no pine trees, went in smoke earlier. Forests are burning near Madrid. It may make some people feel better to think that it is an isolated, local problem, but unfortunately global warming is the main culprit and we at least need t…

Post by ornornor » Mon, Jul 27, 2026, 5:30 AM UTC

sdthjbvuiiijbb wrote: post #141

ornornor wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Never on that scale. This is unprecedented. France asked other EU members for help as the firefighters are overwhelmed and the fire uncontrollable. There hasn’t been an evacuation this large since WW2 (300k people displaced so far, 0.5% of the country’s population) This isn’t a “it’s summer, and fires burn” type of a deal. Even though most fires are set by idiots on purpose, it spreads so well because everywhere is d…

France has more than 6 million people. I think you meant 0.5%

Post by reco98gg » Mon, Jul 27, 2026, 5:41 AM UTC

zahlman wrote: post #143

ornornor wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Never on that scale. This is unprecedented. France asked other EU members for help as the firefighters are overwhelmed and the fire uncontrollable. There hasn’t been an evacuation this large since WW2 (300k people displaced so far, 0.5% of the country’s population) This isn’t a “it’s summer, and fires burn” type of a deal. Even though most fires are set by idiots on purpose, it spreads so well because everywhere is d…

The sources I can readily find place the total extent of forest fires in France this year at 40,000 hectares, still less than https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1949_Landes_forest_fire .

Post by AlecSchueler » Mon, Jul 27, 2026, 5:49 AM UTC

markdown wrote: post #162

superfrank wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think the person you're responding to was trying to deny global warming being a factor. I think they're just explaining why this fire is so bad compared to other fires we have seen in France before. I know global warming plays a major role in this, but I still found it interesting to know why this fire seems so bad.

The pine forests have been there for centuries, so it being pine is no explanation at all for why it's burning so badly now .