A village scorched by flames
The Pyrénées-Orientales village of Tarerach, located in southern France, nearly disappeared under the impact of recent wildfires. Jean-Louis Salies, a seasoned 78-year-old winemaker, returned home after being forced to evacuate and discovered his 45-hectare vineyard in ruins. Only eight hectares of his property remain untouched by the fire's devastation.
Salies' family has been growing wine in the region for three generations, making the loss of their home and business deeply personal. In the summer of the blaze, intense heat left the land completely dry, and when the fire hit, it scorched everything with such intensity that all moisture in the plants vanished. Salies recalls the moment he walked back to his vineyards after returning from the evacuation. 'The tears came easily again,' he said, describing the overwhelming emotional toll of the destruction.
The fire's path and conditions
The fire spread rapidly in mid-July, driven by searing temperatures of 43 degrees Celsius and humidity levels as low as 8 percent. Dry vegetation and powerful winds created ideal conditions for the flames to move swiftly through the area. The extreme heat caused plants to lose all their moisture, leaving them withered and blackened. In some parts, the land turned not black but a dry, burnt brown, a sign that every bit of liquid was gone.
Alain Fabre, a local winemaker and the mayor of Tarerach, examined the damage firsthand. He crumbled a charred grape leaf between his fingers and said, 'There's nothing more coming.' If a vineyard is damaged by more than half, the only option is to tear it out and start over. Fabre explained that new vineyards could take at least five years to yield a harvest, making recovery a long and uncertain process.
Challenges beyond fire
Local winemakers claim additional challenges have made the region more vulnerable to wildfires. Regulations now prevent farmers from burning weeds in winter, a practice once used to clear the land. Fabre says this is part of environmental policies that aim to protect certain species, but it has left more dry vegetation to fuel fires. He also highlighted the role of declining wine consumption, which has led to a steady reduction in the number of active vineyards in the area.
Fewer farmers mean more undergrowth and less maintenance, increasing the risk of flames reaching dangerous heights. Fabre argues that vineyards, if well-maintained, can act as natural firebreaks. However, with many vineyards being removed and replaced due to EU subsidies, the region lacks enough green space to stop fires effectively. The EU pays farmers to destroy surplus vineyards to control wine production, but this strategy has left the land even more vulnerable.
Fabre has proposed building water retention basins to capture winter rain and provide water for crops during hot summers. This would help reduce the risk of drought and wildfires. However, political debates over funding have stalled the project. He looked toward Tarerach, a village that remained untouched by the flames, and voiced his concerns about the future.
Fabre and Salies are among those who have lost homes, jobs, and livelihoods, and they now face an uncertain path forward. While some have insurance, government or EU assistance remains unclear. One thing is certain—next summer will likely be hot and dry again, with more risks looming over the region and its people.