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Bordeaux firefighters thanked with wine and rugby tickets

01 August 2022 By Louis Thomas

The firefighters involved in tackling the wildfires that recently ravaged the Southern Gironde will receive a quintessentially Bordelais thanks for their efforts.

Image credit: Twitter user PrefAquitaine33

A joint statement from Top 14 rugby club Union Bordeaux Bègles and Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB) praised the more than 1,000 Girondin firefighters who controlled the blazes: “We join together to thank these exemplary men and women, and salute their courage, their dedication, their tenacity, despite the Dantesque conditions of intervention.”

The inferno itself is believed that have destroyed 20,800 hectares of land in the areas of Landiras and La Teste-de-Buch. However, despite the damage, the statement notes that were it not for the bravery of the firefighters it could have been truly devastating: “Thanks to them, there were no human casualties, and entire towns were spared from flames.”

As reward for their bravery, Union Bordeaux Bègles president Laurent Marti has offered the firefighters 1,000 tickets for the opening match of the season against Stade Toulousain this September. There will also be a lap of honour for the attending firefighters before kick-off.

Meanwhile, CIVB president Allan Sichel has offered a liquid token of appreciation in the form of 1,000 bottles of Bordeaux wine. db has reached out to ask which wines have been selected, and when these will be distributed.

The firefighters’ efforts are especially important to the producers of the region as beyond the damage caused by burning forests and grassland, there is also concern about how smoke taint may affect this year’s harvest.

Tens of thousands of people were evacuated due to the severity of the fires, including from fine wine estate Liber Pater.