The phenomenon surprised more than one.
This Tuesday, at the end of the day, the capital found itself enveloped in a misty veil and the most sensitive noses even spotted a smell of smoke.
This phenomenon has also been observed elsewhere in Île-de-France.
Faced with the alerts, the Paris police headquarters assured on Twitter that this was explained "certainly (by) ongoing fires raging in France" because of "the versatility of the wind".
Some therefore saw the consequences of the historic fires in Gironde, others, the repercussions of the various fires which broke out in Île-de-France on Tuesday.
What about?
ℹ️ You may smell a burning smell outside.
This smell certainly comes from the ongoing fires that are raging in France.
The reason ?
The versatility of the wind.
☎️ 18: don't clutter the help lines.
Only call the fire department if there is a fire.
pic.twitter.com/X8FfjUCZO9
— Prefecture of Police (@prefpolice) July 19, 2022
The historic fires in progress in Gironde would not, indeed, be innocent in the Parisian mist of this Tuesday evening.
"The extent of the plume modeled and observed by satellite points to an origin in Gironde with a fairly high probability", says Augustin Colette, head of the air quality modeling unit at Ineris (Institut national de industrial environment and risks).
"We see that a plume of smoke from Gironde has reached Île-de-France by a south-west / north-east axis", describes for his part Antoine Trouche engineer for Airparif (the body responsible for the air quality monitoring in the Île-de-France region).
This Tuesday, testimonies similar to those of Paris have also flourished on social networks about Vienne, Indre-et-Loire, Loiret…
Several fires in Île-de-France
But the Gironde - currently hit by two spectacular fires which have already burned more than 20,000 ha - is not the only department affected, and other fires have broken out elsewhere in France in recent days, particularly in Finistère or in the Channel.
Île-de-France is also not left out.
This Tuesday, in Essonne, a stubble fire broke out in the town of Les Molières, ravaging an area of around 90 ha, the departmental fire and rescue service told us.
The Seine-et-Marne firefighters had to deal with eight field fires.
Among them, one burned two hectares, spreading to an undergrowth in the town of Meilleray, and another raged over four hectares, the firefighters told us.
The Val d'Oise recorded no less than 14 fire starts in forests, stubble or crops on Tuesday alone.
In Chars, for example, 51 hectares of stubble and vegetation went up in smoke and it took firefighters more than eight hours to fight the flames.
In the Yvelines, about ten hectares of forest have been consumed.
These more local fires therefore added to the plume that arrived from Gironde.
"Today, we can say that it is the accumulation of fires that has led to the phenomenon" in Paris and its surroundings, explains AirParif specialist Antoine Trouche.
On the other hand, "it is impossible to say what part is linked to the fires of Gironde and what part is linked to others", he continues.
The same effect as Sahara sand
If the movement over several hundred kilometers of a plume of smoke is surprising, it is not unusual.
“There are always fine particles that are released during fires”, explains Météo France.
These particles are suspended in the air "and they stay there long enough: several hours or even a few days", adds Augustin Colette, head of the air quality modeling unit at Ineris.
"So if there's a wind that carries them quickly, they can travel hundreds or even thousands of kilometres," he continues.
This explains why we sometimes find dust from the Sahara to France.
"These are particles of similar size, which travel very long distances", illustrates the specialist.
VIDEO.
Paris: the smell of smoke and the foggy veil would come from the fires in Gironde and Yvelines
The event of this Tuesday, in Paris, will have finally had a lesser importance, in spite of spectacular images.
"When we see the hour-by-hour indicators but also the average particle concentration over the day, we realize that the plume that passed over Île-de-France yesterday was quite fine and that it moved quickly", analyzes Augustin Colette.
The particles that could have remained in suspension have since fallen to the ground, thanks to the rain that hit the region on Wednesday.
The view of the Eiffel Tower is therefore now perfectly clear.