The town hall of Saumos, a village of about 500 people in Gironde, France, has sent a long letter to President Emmanuel Macron, lawmakers, the Gironde prefect and local authorities, weeks after a devastating wildfire that started in the commune ravaged the region.
The letter, shared on Facebook, said that as soon as the flames were out, while the ashes were still warm and the scale of the damage was barely understood, proposals were already pouring in. It cited suggestions to overhaul forestry practices, ban clear-cutting, change the tree species planted, or abandon forestry altogether in favor of solar panels, calling this approach deeply indecent toward the victims.
The municipality questioned who was really listening to the region, arguing that all these proposals shared one trait: they were made in haste, sometimes from far away, and too often without grasping the reality on the ground.
Root causes cited
The town hall said the fight against wildfires cannot be reduced to adding equipment, bans or restrictions. It said the response must also address the deeper causes of the region's vulnerability, including drought, water availability, climate change, soil preservation and biodiversity protection. The fire, it said, had reminded everyone that they depend on nature far more than they control it, yet silence persists on these essential issues.
"No miracle solution"
The municipality said there is no miracle solution for fighting a monster like this fire, and urged officials not to get the response wrong. It said it was not asking Macron to decide in its place, but to listen before deciding, and not to impose standards drafted far from the ground, but to build a genuine strategy together with those who live, work and administer these territories every day, rather than turning the area into a laboratory for decisions made in an emergency.
The letter concluded that the territory had paid an immense price, and that it was now the government's responsibility to ensure it was not sacrificed a second time over decisions made without its input.
Prime minister to visit Gironde
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, along with several ministers and the five members of a mission set up to oversee reconstruction of the affected areas, is expected in Gironde next week. Matignon said the visit would allow him to hold lengthy talks with local officials, reconstruction actors and the region's socio-economic stakeholders. More than 42,000 hectares burned in the department.
