Summer fires: bushcraft tips for fighting the flames

Summer, a season of vacations and relaxation, can turn into a nightmare in a matter of hours. The dramatic fires of July 2025 that engulfed Marseille and Narbonne are a stark reminder of this reality. The Narbonne fire, described as "exceptional" by firefighters, covered 2,100 hectares in a few days, while the fire that started in Pennes-Mirabeau reached the 16th arrondissement of Marseille, even closing Marignane airport and injuring 146 people. These events, which follow the giant fires of summer 2022 in Gironde, where more than 30,000 hectares of forest went up in smoke, illustrate a new climate situation: summer fires know no bounds and strike with unprecedented violence.

These phenomena, once confined to Mediterranean scrubland, are now affecting major cities with an intensity that often exceeds conventional response capabilities. Images of France's second-largest city threatened by flames in July 2025, with entire neighborhoods evacuated and hundreds of people confined, are a reminder that in the face of this new climate reality, ancestral bushcraft survival techniques must adapt to the modern challenges of urban and peri-urban mega-fires.

Recognizing the warning signs: when nature ignites

Knowing how to read the warning signs of a fire can give you the crucial head start you need to evacuate before the flames block your escape routes. This reading of the environment blends traditional observations with modern realities, as the recent events in France in July brought home to us.

Critical weather indices

The fatal combination of high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds combines. When the thermometer rises above 30°C, relative humidity drops below 30%, and winds blow at over 30 km/h (18 mph), conditions become explosive. This "fire trinity" was present during the fires in Marseille and Narbonne, where the mistral and tramontane winds fanned the flames with gusts exceeding 60 km/h (37 mph).

Watch for wind inversions: When normal sea breezes reverse and blow toward the sea, they can push a nascent fire toward populated areas. Firefighters are particularly concerned about these changes in direction, which can invalidate their forecasts, as was the case with the Marseille fire, which spread faster than expected toward residential areas.

Visual and olfactory signals

Smoke is your first indicator. White smoke indicates a smoldering fire, burning primarily moist, green vegetation. Black smoke indicates an active fire consuming dry wood, structures, or hydrocarbons. Orange-red smoke indicates an extremely hot fire, often accompanied by strong winds, as observed during the recent French mega-fires.

The smell of smoke carried by the wind can alert you several hours before you see the flames. This pungent odor, unlike that of a chimney fire, should trigger your vigilance. Residents of Marseille's northern neighborhoods report smelling this characteristic odor several hours before the flames actually reached their areas.

Revealing animal behavior

Wild animals instinctively flee danger zones. Birds taking flight en masse, mammals crossing roads and inhabited areas, insects suddenly disappearing: these are all natural warning signals. This animal wisdom often precedes official alerts, as residents of the Aude region experienced during the Narbonne fire in July 2025.

Emergency Evacuation: The Minutes That Count

When an evacuation order is issued or you detect imminent danger, every second counts. The recent French fires of July 2025 showed that fires can sometimes spread at a dizzying speed. The Narbonne fire, described as "exceptional" by firefighters, surprised by its speed of spread, while the Marseille fire required the evacuation of 400 people in a few hours.

The 5-minute rule

You theoretically have 5 minutes to gather the essentials before evacuating. This constraint imposes a drastic hierarchy: first the people (children, elderly people, pets), then the vital documents (identity papers, insurance, medications), and finally your evacuation belongings.

Prepare your evacuation bag in advance, a "fire bag" containing, at the very least:

• copies of important documents under waterproof protection,
• medication for 7 days (if you are on treatment),
• change of clothes,
• emergency hand-cranked radio , waterproof lamp, mobile phone with charger, ideally a charged power bank ,
• cash.

Multiple evacuation routes

It's often said: preparation isn't organized during a crisis. Therefore, before it happens, we can't recommend enough that you plan three different evacuation routes from your home, avoiding wooded areas, high ground (these are where fires tend to be directed and are often traps given the difficulty of escaping), and narrow roads. Fires create their own winds that can block certain roads in a matter of minutes. The A9 near Narbonne was partially closed during the recent fires, demonstrating that even major roads can become impassable.

Make sure your vehicle always has at least half a tank of gas during high-risk periods. Gas stations close during alerts, and evacuation traffic jams consume a lot of fuel.

Vehicle evacuation technique

If you are caught in a car fire, call for help immediately (via 112 or 18 for the fire department in France) and never attempt to drive through a wall of flames. While Hollywood movies are there to sell dreams, you will never be advised to apply this in reality: you do not know what temperatures your car and tires can withstand, or the amount of smoke that could enter the passenger compartment during the crossing. You could, even if you wanted to do the right thing, cause severe damage to your vehicle (and worse if it is electric!), asphyxiation of all passengers, and reduce your chances of survival to 0.

Instead, try turning around: the path you came from is probably the only one that was definitely clear a few minutes ago. Barring extreme bad luck, this is the safest way to escape the area.

If you're surrounded, park away from vegetation, with your headlights and hazard lights on (in dense smoke, these may be the only signals that alert you to emergency services). Close all openings, recirculate the air conditioning, and stay inside. As counterintuitive as it may seem, the vehicle protects you better than the outside: flames are radical, and outdoors, smoke kills faster than fire.

Keep blankets and water bottles inside the cabin. If the heat becomes unbearable, spray yourself and dampen your clothes. Don't leave until the flames have passed, being careful of weakened trees that could collapse.

Survival on foot in the face of flames: emergency techniques

Sometimes, vehicle evacuation becomes impossible. Roads blocked, vehicles broken down, the fire spreading too quickly: you must rely solely on your own strength and knowledge of the terrain. Recent events have shown that this situation can arise even in peri-urban areas.

Choosing the Survival Route

Head toward less combustible areas: wide roads, cultivated areas, water sources, bare rocks. Avoid ravines and narrow valleys, which become natural chimneys that concentrate heat. Stay in open areas where the fire spreads more slowly.

Water becomes your primary focus: rivers, lakes, swimming pools, retention basins. Even a muddy puddle can save your life. Look for these watering holes during your outings during normal times; they're your last-resort refuges. Some Marseille residents have even headed to the calanques to escape the toxic fumes.

Body protection techniques

Wear protective clothing made from natural fibers: cotton, wool, linen. These materials burn without melting, unlike synthetics, which stick to the skin. Dampen your clothing if possible; this creates temporary protection against radiant heat.

Protect your airways with a damp cloth. Toxic smoke kills more people than the flames themselves. Breathe close to the ground where the air is less dense with particles. If you must walk through a smoky area, hold your breath and bend over.

Signaling and rescue in the smoke hell

Being rescued in a wildfire poses unique challenges: reduced visibility, disrupted communications, and air resources limited by smoke. Your signaling must adapt to these constraints.

Adapted visual signaling

Use signals that contrast with the orange-red surroundings of the flames: blue and green fabrics, mirrors, and shiny metal objects. Avoid red and orange, which blend in with the fire. Civil Security helicopters look for these color contrasts during their reconnaissance.

Create geometric signals visible from above: crosses, triangles, arrows with bright objects. These artificial shapes attract the attention of pilots accustomed to scrutinizing natural shapes. Change their position regularly to show that you are alive.

Long-range audible signaling

Use whistles, horns, and striking metal objects. The noise carries well in the dry air of fires. Follow the international code: 3 long blasts, pause, 3 blasts. Continue steadily; help may be close without you hearing it.

Save your voice: Yelling quickly exhausts and dries out your throat. Use sound-making devices instead of your vocal cords. Save your vocal energy for crucial moments.

Prevention and preparation: the art of anticipation

The best way to survive a fire is through prevention. This proactive approach, inspired by bushcraft philosophy, allows you to avoid critical situations.

Create a 50-meter safety zone around your home: clear brush, prune, and remove dead vegetation. This "buffer zone" slows the spread of the fire and facilitates emergency response.

Store water strategically: in cisterns, ponds, and swimming pools. This reserve can save your property and yourself. Plan for independent water collection methods: hand pumps, buckets, and hoses.

The French summer fires reveal our vulnerability to the unleashed forces of nature, but also our ability to adapt when we combine ancestral wisdom and modern techniques. In the face of fire, as in all bushcraft challenges, preparation and knowledge make the difference between tragedy and survival.