The faces of the two firefighters who died Tuesday in a violent fire in the Gironde region have been released. Anthony Berthome and Wilfried Schmitter were both professional firefighters at the Saint-Médard-en-Jalles fire station. Their tanker truck became surrounded by flames while they were battling a pine forest fire near Bordeaux airport.
Two professional firefighters from Saint-Médard-en-Jalles
Anthony Berthome and Wilfried Schmitter were among the teams dispatched to the fire within minutes. The blaze, which broke out Tuesday afternoon near Bordeaux airport, required a significant response before being brought under control. Both men were members of the Saint-Médard-en-Jalles fire station. Their identities and photographs were released on Wednesday, 24 hours after the incident.
A tribute will be paid to them this Thursday at 18:30 p.m. in Saint-Médard-en-Jalles. Firefighters, relatives, elected officials, and residents are expected to attend to honor the memory of the two firefighters.
Their tanker truck surrounded by flames
Anthony Berthome and Wilfried Schmitter had arrived at the scene "in the first few minutes of the fire attack phase"The teams were quickly confronted with particularly dangerous conditions. Controller General Marc Vermeulen described the situation as follows: "very unfavorable", in particular due to shifting winds. These sudden changes in direction made the fire's progression difficult to anticipate and confronted firefighters with an extremely intense blaze. The tanker truck in which the two men were traveling then found itself " trap " at the heart of the blaze. The flames reached between 20 and 30 meters high in this wooded area composed of pine trees.
The precise circumstances of the tragedy remain to be established.
The exact conditions under which the vehicle was surrounded are not yet fully known. Sweeping winds, the intensity of the blaze, and the height of the flames are among the initial factors put forward to explain the trap that closed around their vehicle.
A profession in mourning
The deaths of Anthony Berthome and Wilfried Schmitter have plunged the Saint-Médard-en-Jalles fire station into mourning. The two men lost their lives while battling one of the most dangerous phases of a wildfire, when crews try to stop its spread in the first few minutes. This tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the extreme risks firefighters face during forest fires, particularly when the wind suddenly shifts direction and flames advance through dry, dense vegetation. On Thursday evening, Saint-Médard-en-Jalles will pay tribute to Anthony Berthome and Wilfried Schmitter, two firefighters who died fighting the flames.
