VIDEO. Fires in Gironde: residents and volunteers at the front facing the flames

There are several dozen of them, taking turns day and night, on the roads between Hostens, Belin-Béliet and Saint-Magne.

Everyone here wants to participate to save their lands in any way.

At the village hall of Hostens, HQ of the volunteers, it's an anthill.

The comings and goings of locals do not stop.

Guillaume returns after having spent several hours fighting the fire “with a shovel,” he explains.

I've been there for 3 days, I'm going to bed now”.

Like him, many of them outdo themselves to contain the fire.

More than 7400 hectares burned in 3 days in the Hostens sector.

And while the foreign reinforcements are barely arriving in Gironde, the exhausted firefighters were able to count on the help of the inhabitants, ready for anything, not to let the fire get closer to the houses.

Philip Go came from Landiras, hit by the fires in July, to lend a hand.

Armed with its three 1,000-litre tanks, it travels the roads in search of resumption of fire.

“The main objective is not to let the fire spread with the dry vegetation”.

So at the slightest flame or thick smoke, he sprinkles it, accompanied by Karine, a friend from his motorcycle group.

On the road, a white van stops regularly.

"Do you have what you need?"

Water, food?

".

Nicolas takes care of supplying the fire fighters, whether they are firefighters or not.

“It's important because it gives them morale, energy and it allows them to be more efficient and stop the fire more quickly”.

Read also“We know it can become apocalyptic”: in Gironde, fear in front of the fire

A little further when you venture on the tracks, two bulldozers rake a whole part of the forest.

“We are creating a firewall, explains Nicolas Gonzalez, resident of Hostens.

It helps to stop the spread of fire, because we remove everything that can burn over 40 m, between the forest and the road, ”he explains.

Actions appreciated by the firefighters who do not fail to salute the courage of these inhabitants.

“Usually we see a little mobilization of the population.

But there it is multiplied by 10, even by 50 compared to what we usually see, observes Commander Jérôme Jallet of Sdis du Gard.

Every time there are people who give us a hand, it gives us added value”.

Nevertheless, he reminds the inhabitants to take their precautions and to avoid going to the “phases of intense struggles” so as not to put themselves in danger.