Student rescues young cousins from home as smoke closed in from toxic wildfires sweeping France

A student has told how he rescued his young cousins from their home as smoke closed in from toxic wildfires sweeping through south west France, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee.Yanis Sharif, a 21-year-old engineering student, described how he was woken in the middle of the night by an alert on his phone and urged to leave his home in Saint-Jean d’Illac, west of Bordeaux, with his aunt and her young children, aged two and seven, as the fires closed in.“It was really scary,” he said, speaking to The Independent.

“We didn’t have much information. We thought that the fire was close. With the babies, we took our stuff.

We didn’t really have any time, so we had to act very fast.”Mr Sharif is one of 500 people now living in rows of camp beds at the Parc des Expositions in the north of Bordeaux, having brought just the possessions they managed to grab in a hurried late-night departure from their homes.open image in galleryFirefighters work as flames and smoke rise during a wildfire in Saint-Jean-d'Illac (Kara Nabil)“I didn’t realise anything.

I woke up and found myself driving here. The babies were crying because we had to wake them. But we settled here.

The first night was a little tough; we spent it in the car. There was no bed.”Mr Sharif, who said he was only able to grab his laptop, some paperwork and a few T-shirts in the rush, said the four of them had been living in a hall ever since, and moved around several times as others came in.

He praised the volunteers and helpers on site who ensured they had food, shelter, somewhere to sleep and showers. They provided strollers for the children, he said.Other refugees displaced by the devastating wildfires said they were grateful to be alive as they waited for news of their homes.

Patrice Gaucher, also displaced from his home in Saint-Jean d’Illac, stressed how grateful he was for the response that he believes may have saved his life.open image in galleryA large hall in Bordeaux has become a temporary home to hundreds displaced by the ongoing wildfires (James Reynolds / The Independent)He said he arrived late on Friday evening after receiving a knock on the door from the gendarmerie, telling him he had two minutes to pack a bag and head east to the city.“We have to say ‘thank you’,” he said.

“We arrived at 10pm and I was given a bed. I was given something for the heat, to drink, to clean ... Every five minutes, a doctor comes for us.

They take a lot of care of all of the people.”“Some people arrived with nothing. There is a lot of solidarity from the population.

They give a lot. And I’m very surprised by the French people. And maybe we did not die because we saw that solidarity.

Because now in France there are many individuals... But after no, no.open image in galleryPeople hand out essentials at the busy centre for displaced persons in Bordeaux on Tuesday (James Reynolds / The Independent)“Some people have a different mentality but me, I say, ‘no, I’m okay.

I am lucky to be here. I am alive’ ... So if I come back and my home is no more, it’s okay, I’m not happy, but that’s life.

“And after we are not happy because it’s paperwork with the insurance. But the more important thing is I’m alive ... I can make a new house, I can buy a new motorbike, but I cannot buy a new life.

So I have to say thank you.”The sheer volume of people seeking support has put immense strain on the region, with some 6,000 people spread across three halls in Bordeaux at the height of the displacement.open image in galleryGabin Bourdin Marchand, a 20-year-old nurse, returned to the site to volunteer his help on Tuesday, after being evacuated himself (James Reynolds / The Independent)Residents of the municipalities of Eysines, Mérignac (areas outside the ring road), and Le Haillan have now been returned to their homes, and last night there were 850 at the displacement centre.

Many have also been moved, or are being moved, to vacant student accommodation or available housing in the city, officials said.On Wednesday, the Bordeaux Métropole confirmed that due to the “massive influx” of food, clothing and essentials, they were suspending their call for donations.Thomas Cazenave, President of Bordeaux Métropole and Mayor of Bordeaux, said: “I would like to thank all the citizens, associations, business leaders, mayors, and heads of local authorities who have shown such exceptional support.

open image in gallerySecurity forces were on site at the displacement centre on Tuesday (James Reynolds / The Independent)“We are receiving donations from all over France; the volume of donations has now exceeded our expectations. This outpouring of solidarity has made it possible to provide an immediate, tangible response to the families affected by the fires.”Gabin Bourdin Marchand, a 20-year-old nurse and student from Eysines, said he had come back to volunteer after four days spent living in the camp, but had found the authorities more reluctant to let volunteers back in as they had so many helpers.

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