Firefighters 'abandoned French village to wildfires so they could save millionaires' homes'

By SOPHIA STANFORD, NEWS REPORTER Published: 10:55, 3 August 2026 | Updated: 10:57, 3 August 2026 Furious homeowners in Gironde have accused the French government of prioritising saving the homes of millionaires from devastating wildfires over their village. According to some 700 residents from Le Porge, fire crews were redirected to focus their attention on the affluent region of Cap Ferret – often referred to as the French version of the Hamptons – and leaving their village deserted. Nearly 200 homes in Le Porge were destroyed in the raging wildfires that have ravaged an area four times the size of Paris in recent weeks, with about 10 per cent of the town's buildings in rubble. The outraged residents have said they are preparing to take legal action against French authorities over the alleged decision to abandon their area for the well-to-do peninsula, considered a playground for wealthy French holidaymakers.  'We’re going to hold everyone responsible for this tragic outcome to account,' Ludivine Daurignac – who is leading the legal battle on behalf of residents – told French news site Franceinfo.  'We really felt abandoned,' she added. 'Our aim is simple: to get concrete answers, to shed full light on the events and to secure compensation for the harm suffered,' Ms Daurignac also wrote on Facebook. The residents' lawyer, Sylvain Galinat, is now gathering testimonies and witness statements from those affected in order to file criminal and administrative complaints.  An aerial view of a home burned by wildfires in Le Porge, southwestern France, where ten per cent of the town's buildings are said to be destroyed Nearly 200 homes in Le Porge were destroyed in the raging wildfires that have ravaged an area four times the size of Paris in recent weeks The outraged residents have said they are preparing to take legal action against French authorities over the alleged decision to abandon their area for the well-to-do peninsula NGE Energie Solutions personnel work to secure power lines in front of fire damaged houses following wildfires in Le Porge French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu denied the accusations that he claimed were being exacerbated by 'conspiracy theorists'.  'Who can seriously believe that a fire department command centre would decide to protect one town over another simply because it’s wealthier? Who can imagine that such an order could ever be given? We need to stop spouting nonsense,' Mr Lecornu told La Tribune Dimanche yesterday.  Cap Ferret sees millionaires like Xavier Niel – telecoms tycoon and son-in-law to Bernard Arnault – and Marion Cotillard – an actress – spend their summers in the region. Mr Niel is believed to have paid £14.5million (€17million) for his holiday home there in 2021 and Ms Cotillard also has a home in the village of L'Herbe. Last week, the Daily Mail – one of the first media outlets to be allowed access to the frontline of the rampaging fire – saw first hand the enormous destruction the wildfires had inflicted on the region, with some mansions in Cap Ferret also affected. 'Unprecedented' wildfires have ripped through France in recent weeks, as well as several parts of Europe, with 1,300 firefighters deployed to Provence on Saturday night alone to try to quell the flames. In total, 220,000 have been evacuated thanks to the catastrophic wildfires which have devastated more than 40,000 hectares of land, in what represents one of the most devastating events in the country since the Second World War. A drone photo reveals the devastating wildfire that affected the wealthy peninsula of Cap Ferret Firefighters operate in a burned forest, in Lege-Cap-Ferret, Gironde department, France, amid drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of France Smoke from a wildfire spreading on Cap Ferret peninsula is seen over a pine forest in Lege Cap-Ferret, south-western France, July 24 2026 Many of the homes belong to wealthy French families who have put down roots in this rich wine growing region The likes of George and Amal Clooney were also forced to flee from their luxury French estate after a fast-moving wildfire raced towards their home. Last night a wildfire in Greece led to a Greek and a Dane being killed in a mid-air helicopter crash while fighting the blaze. The wildfires have been exacerbated by prolonged periods of heat and drought – a phenomenon that is spread across large parts of Europe. The weather is so extreme it has even caused the River Danube to become so low that Hungary was forced to shutter its only nuclear power plant.  The Soviet-era reactors at Paks, which generate about half of the country's electricity, rely on the river's water for cooling, but the suction nozzles can no longer reach it.  Water levels in the pan-European river are already so low that a sunken Nazi ship was uncovered late last week.