> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.ilesanglo-normandes.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # A summer fighting climate fires in France - and in the islands - URL: https://www.ilesanglo-normandes.com/a-summer-on-fire-fighting-climate-fires-in-france-and-in-the-islands/ - Published: 2026-09-26T06:41:54.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-29T05:49:20.000Z - Description: Over one weekend, islanders fought a fire in Sark, then Guernsey's La Corbière headland while Jersey was inundated with reports of smoke - it turned out from Port-bail on Normandy's coast. After a summer of climate fires French firefighters are striking for resources to fight them. - Author: îles - Tags: Sér, Jèrri, Guernési, Nouormandie In Sark, the 999 call came in at 11 am - a fire had broken out on Little Sark. Scorching through "a field approximately size of a football pitch in a minute," by 1 pm, Sark's Chief Fire Officer had declared a major incident - the first since Sark Fire & Rescue Service was founded in 1958\. Cutting fire breaks through the gorse, at one point the fire was being fought from six different approaches. Around two hectares, 20,000 meters squared, would burn before Sark's volunteer firefighters, led by Guernsey's Fire Service and helped by islanders, were able to extinguish the flames. "This was a huge fire for Sark, as we have such limited resources, but it was an honour to witness how the whole community came together to tackle it," said Simon Adams, Station Manager and second-in-command at Sark Fire & Rescue's entirely voluntary Service. Some 60,000 gallons of water had to be transported across the Coupée, the steep pathway between the two parts of the islands. "A herculean effort from everyone involved," declared Sark Chief Fire Officer Kevin Adams. Fi[ve Guernsey firefighters](https://www.thequarry.media/five-guernsey-firefighters-injured-on-the-way-to-tackle-huge-gorse-fire-on-little-sark/?ref=ilesanglo-normandes.com) injured after the tractor they were travelling in crashed going across the Coupée are making a full recovery. "None of the injuries are serious and all will return to work on full duties," said Ben Farmer, Watch Commander Ops & Policy for Guernsey Fire & Rescue Service. While Guernsey and Sark have separate fire services, the two work closely together before, during, and after any incidents. "Logistics on Sark are always a challenge due to the nature of the terrain and the car free environment," Farmer said. Two days after Sark, it was Guernsey's turn - a fire broke out on the island's south coast headland, La Corbière. Fire crew worked from 7 pm until 2 am to put it out. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/09/sark-fire-3.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/09/sark-fire-4.jpg) Sark ©Sark Fire & Rescue Service ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/09/Corbi--re-Guernsey-3.jpg) La Corbière headland, Guernsey ©Guernsey Fire & Rescue Service Across in [Jersey](https://www.gov.je/News/2026/pages/wildfireriskhigh.aspx?ref=ilesanglo-normandes.com) that same Sunday, the island's fire service started receiving the first of around 30 calls from worried islanders. Crews were deployed around the island to check every report of smoke. "Our duty officers had information about a fire in the Port-Bail area of Normandy but, of course, needed to verify that there was no major fire in Jersey," stated Station Commander Larry Vibert, at the time. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/09/Port-bail-sur-mer-1.jpg) Port-bail sur mer ©SDIS50 In Port-bail, on the coast opposite, fire was raging. Fumes had billowed 15 miles across the water to Jersey. It took 81 firefighters four hours to control the blaze on the Côte des Isles, the stretch of the Cotentin named after the islands. But not before flames had destroyed 12 mobile homes, seven vehicles, and two travel trailers, burning through 21 hectares. Two firefighters who sustained minor injuries were transported to hospital. Monitoring and watering continued throughout the night to prevent the fire from reigniting. To fight the blaze at Port-bail, firefighters were mobilised from 15 stations around La Manche - one of Normandy's five smaller administrative areas, called *départements*, that France's regions are divided into. While their colleagues were fighting in Port-bail, another team of La Manche firefighters had travelled down towards the Pyrénees, as reported by [Ici Normandie](https://www.ici.fr/normandie/manche-50/saint-lo/en-images-incendies-dans-les-pyrenees-orientales-des-pompiers-de-la-manche-racontent-10-jours-de-lutte-contre-le-feu-3459010?ref=ilesanglo-normandes.com). Deployed as part of the national solidarity plan, La Manche firefighters went to back up teams tackling flames that tore through 5000 hectares near Perpignan. In mid-August as extreme heat continued to pound even Normandy and Brittany, another three fires broke out across La Manche. While in Saint-Just, an hour-and-a-half from St Malo, in the île et Vilaine *département*, some 230 hectares burned. Between the islands, fire & rescue services collaborate across preplanning, procedural development, and command support. "By declaring a major incident this ‘unlocked’ assistance from our ‘big sister’ island of Guernsey," said Adams. "We were so grateful that some Guernsey firefighters, drone team and the Guernsey vessel ‘Sarnia’ were able to travel over to assist us." In Sark, where hot spots continued to ignite for almost two weeks after the fire, the island has now purchased vital new equipment should another incident of this size occur again. "Hopefully it won’t," Adams said "but with climate change every fire service has to take steps to prepare for every emergency." > "with climate change every fire service has to take steps to prepare for every emergency." Sark Fire & Rescue Service. Despite the geographical proximity, there are no specific agreements for mutual firefighting assistance between the islands and France. "Jersey does not have any formal mutual aid agreements with French fire & rescue Services," a spokesperson for Jersey Fire and Rescue Service said. "However, assistance from France is not ruled out in an emergency. Since Jersey’s operational doctrine is aligned with the UK rather than France," the spokesperson continued, "there are no specific contingency arrangements for Jersey firefighters to be deployed to assist with wildfires in France." Likewise there are no official agreements between France and Guernsey. "We have very little interaction with the French Fire Services, generally due to differences in language, training, equipment, and command models," said Guernsey's Commander Farmer. "That said, we are always keen on inter-service liaison and collaboration." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/09/Sark-fire.jpg) Little Sark ©Sark Fire & Rescue Service In total, 100,000 hectares burned across France, an area five times all the Channel Islands combined. And ten times the city of Paris. Four firefighters lost their lives. Fontainebleau, the go-to climbing destination, lost 10% of forest to flames. The mega-fire near the Cap Ferret and Bordeaux, in La Gironde *département*, which called for the evacuation of more than 200,000 people, and where the four firefighters died, saw 42 000 hectares burn. More than 100 firefighters were injured over the summer. > "What kind of civil security do we want for the future, and what resources does the nation intend to allocate to protecting French people?" National Federation of Firefighters of France Eight of France's nine fire service unions are now on strike to call for the government to "develop a genuine national policy to protect the people." Among their demands is for 21,000 additional professional firefighters to join their ranks. Currently 198,900, 78%, of France's firefighters are voluntary. 44,000, 17%, are professional and 13,500, 5% are military personnel. "Our country, like many European Union member states, was confronted with a record year for forest fires, with more than 13,000 fires and more than 120,000 hectares burned," stated the National Federation of French Firefighters. "Far from being exceptional, this year demonstrates the new normal we must prepare ourselves to face as temperatures rise due to the climate breakdown, forecast by scientists." > "Far from being exceptional, this year demonstrates the new normal we must prepare ourselves to face as temperatures rise due to the climate breakdown, forecast by scientists." National French Firefighters Federation Facing this summer's relentless battle against the flames, the federation credited the outstanding performance of operational command, firefighters' commitment, and the solidarity of communities across France. Together that meant, "at the cost of the tragic loss of four of colleagues," France's fire services achieved their "principal goal: to protect the lives of our fellow citizens and make sure these fires claimed not a single civilian casualty." > "Our principal goal: to protect the lives of our fellow citizens and make sure these fires claimed not a single civilian casualty." National French Firefighters Federation "What kind of civil security do we want for the future, and what resources does the nation intend to allocate to protect the French people?" asked a statement signed by Jean-Paul Bosland, the National French Firefighters Federation president. "This summer did not demonstrate the failure of local authorities. It demonstrated their ability to hold their own, to mobilise their firefighters, to help one another, and to foster national solidarity," the federation stated. "The reform must strengthen this organisation, not weaken it." Calling for a move from a policy of crisis management to one of protecting the population, the federation said: "Civil protection can no longer be viewed solely as the response provided once a disaster has struck. Prevention, planning, risk culture, operational doctrine, resources, health of first responders, regional resilience, and citizen preparedness must all be part of a single national ambition." > "Civil protection can no longer be viewed solely as the response provided once a disaster has struck." National French Firefighters Federation Fire services across La Manche *département*, which includes Port-bail, together with the Ile et Vilaine *département*, which is home to Saint-Malo, have joined the strike. Coachloads are arriving from all over the country to participate in three days of actions in Paris including a camp-out on the Champ de Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower. A strike on 29th September has called by France's public sector unions, including teachers. "The upcoming demonstrations are crucial,” firefighting union leader Manuel Coullet told [independent media Basta!](https://basta.media/ce-que-veulent-les-pompiers-manifestation-nationale-greve-quelles-revendications?ref=ilesanglo-normandes.com). The government is stalling for time, he said. France's 2027 budget is due to be debated in the National Assembly in October, while the full text of the draft civil security law, which will provide for firefighting staffing and budgets, is still awaiting the results of a parliamentary inquiry into this summer's climate fires. --- [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/2026/08/ILES-ANGLO-NORMANDES-UPDATED-1.png)](#/portal/signup) Please support **îles* to report on climate actions from France. [Become a subscriber ](#/portal/signup) --- *\*this article was updated to include a quote and photos from Sark Fire & Rescue Service and statements from the National French Firefighters Federation* [“We want to live.” France climate protests denounce government inaction.After a summer when climate breakdown became a lived reality in France, with climate fires scorching 100 000 hectares and even two hectares of Sark, this autumn French citizens are mobilising for urgent action against Macron’s inaction.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/icon/ILES-ANGLO-NORMANDES-UPDATED-4-b3ae9b88-3f8e-40f0-87de-efa029b6b3ba.png)îles anglo-normandesîles![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d1/c7/d1c79ccb-3da4-4ed2-8fda-9b60db236f61/content/images/thumbnail/edited-from-demo-1-c9b2c768-10d7-4b75-b729-3c409dd79ddc.jpg)](https://www.ilesanglo-normandes.com/we-want-to-live-france-climate-protests-denounce-government-inaction/) ## ###