Record fires in 2022
With 31% of its territory covered by 17 million hectares of forest, our beautiful country has seen many fires this year, from the Gironde to Brittany, via the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, the Bouches du Rhône and the Var. In France, at the end of July, more than 45,000 hectares of vegetation went up in smoke, a record since 1976.
July 2022 is characterised by a burnt area never reached in Europe. In France, the surface area of forest fires has increased sevenfold compared to the average for the last 15 years. In Spain, it is almost 9 times the average of previous years, and 12 times for Germany!
Heat waves combined with drought due to low precipitation have caused major forest fires in Europe; the area burnt in the 27 EU countries is already greater than the cumulative area burnt in the whole of 2021. And the summer is not over yet!
Climate change is an aggravating factor, as it increases drought periods and the risk of storms. It could increase both the frequency of forest fires and the areas affected.
Fires, natural disasters: personal safety first
A major risk? The prefecture of the department can decide to evacuate campsites as a preventive measure. Although this may disrupt holidays, the main thing is assured: campers are safe and no deaths have been reported.
In case of evacuation, holidaymakers are invited to spend one or two nights in gymnasiums, municipal halls, exhibition centres, or with friends when possible... Not easy for campers often coming from the other side of France, or even from abroad. And if often, interviewed by the media, the evacuees show philosophy and can go back to their campsite in the following days, it is not always the case.
Find out more about the conditions for compensation for loss of property or holidays.
Numerous preventive evacuations at campsites in recent years
In the news, 36,000 people were evacuated in an emergency in La Teste-de-Buch during the night of 12 to 13 July, including 6,500 campers, and 90% of the 5 campsites located at the foot of the Pilat Dune were destroyed.
Unfortunately, while the scale of these "mega fires" has been especially memorable, they are not the only ones to have taken place in 2022 and previous years.
- 27 July 2022 - Alpes-de-Haute-Provence: 400 holidaymakers at the Huttopia Castellane campsite were evacuated as a precaution. They returned to the campsite the following day, 28 July.
- 15 July 2022 - Morbihan: evacuation of 150 campers from the Ty Coët campsite in Surzur, as a fire approaches
- 12 July 2022 - Morbihan: evacuation of 3,500 campers from the Capfun Le Cénic campsite in Pénestin, due to a fire starting in a caravan. Although this was not a natural disaster, safety measures were taken seriously.
- 13 June 2022 - Gard: fire in the Espiguette campsite (Grau-du-Roi), 3,000 holidaymakers evacuated, 52 mobile homes destroyed by the flames
- 24 May /2022 - Var : A fire broke out in the Prairies de la Mer campsite in Grimaud in the Var, several mobile homes and vehicles were destroyed by the flames. Several mobile homes and vehicles were destroyed by the fire. 4000 people were brought to safety on the beach.
- 28 August 2021 - Landes: a fire in Mimizan and another in Seignosse. The authorities decided to evacuate the Etang Blanc campsite in Seignosse as a precaution.
- 16 August 2021 - Var: the evacuation of a dozen campsites took place in the hinterland of Cavalaire and Saint-Tropez, particularly around the villages of Grimaud and La Môle. The Charlemagne campsite in Grimaud burned down completely. For the other campers, the holidays are starting again after two days of evacuation.
- August 15, 2020 - Morbihan: 3 campsites have been partially evacuated in Houat, Plouharnel and Hoëdic in the Morbihan, following thunderstorms and heavy rain that caused water to run off in some areas of the campsites.
- 13 August 2020 - Charente-Maritime: 800 campers evacuated from Le Nauzan Plage campsite after flooding in Vaux-sur-mer. Heavy weather has caused two campsites to flood.
- 04 August 2020 - Bouches du Rhône: Around 1,200 people, including many tourists staying at campsites along the Mediterranean coast, have been evacuated near Marseille. Holidaymakers from several campsites had to be rounded up on the beaches of the Côte Bleue, west of the city, before being evacuated by sea.
Campsites are subject to 'foreseeable risk'.
Campsites are often particularly exposed to natural hazards, especially because they are located in the middle of nature.
Examples of major risks likely to occur under natural risks: flooding, forest fire, land movement, coastal retreat and dune erosion, storms, etc. Fortunately, these incidents are rare!
The decree of 1 February 2006 sets out for each department the list of communes exposed to natural risks on whose territory campsites are located.
The safety regulations imposed by French law, to which campsites in particular are bound, cover both :
- information: each holidaymaker is given a document on safety instructions and safeguard measures on arrival, and information is displayed
- warning: triggering methods, measures to be implemented, installation of warning devices for users, etc.
- evacuation: conditions for implementation, marked routes, designation of assembly and refuge areas, etc.