Two firefighters died during an intervention against a fire near Bordeaux, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced on Tuesday July 21.
“I have just learned from the prefect of Gironde that two firefighters died while fighting a fire in Mérignac, in Gironde, a building fire,” he added without further details during questions to the government in the National Assembly. The minister indicated that he would go there “as soon as possible”.
Already on July 8, a 22-year-old volunteer firefighter died, swept away by a falling rock while fighting a vegetation fire in Savoie. The young corporal from the Albertville fire and rescue center died “while fighting a forest fire for part of the night,” Laurent Nuñez said on X.
France has some 250,000 firefighters. Among them, 200,900 are volunteer firefighters, some 44,300 are professional firefighters and 13,370 are military personnel (Paris and Marseille).
