Prefect Sophie Brocas Leads Fight Against Record Gironde Wildfire in France

Sophie Brocas, a 65‑year‑old former journalist and novelist, was appointed prefect of Bordeaux and has taken charge of the massive wildfire that has engulfed the Gironde department. The blaze, the largest in the area since 1949, has burned roughly 42,000 hectares and produced a rare pyrocumulonimbus fire‑storm, a phenomenon explained by the head of the local fire service (Sdis 33).

Brocas stresses a hands‑on approach, saying she prefers to learn "with her feet" and work alongside those directly affected. She highlighted the need for humility and determination, and on 3 July presented a summer safety plan for the forested region. Her background includes a career in public administration, senior advisory roles to former presidents, and a decade of publishing five novels.