France's province transforms into an inferno. Houses, pine forests, hills, seaside. No one is safe. [Music] >> We haven't had a real fire season in years, but this one could become very bad. [Music] The neighborhood is being evacuated >> down that road. >> No, there's no evacuation that way. >> They lit a counter fire against meaning a fire that goes towards the wildfire meets it and stops it. >> Tell them to send more. >> In total, 12,000 acres go up in smoke in a summer that sets the record for the number of fires. A daily challenge for the firefighters. Three months of battling the flames. The opportunity to put into practice years of training. They know that some in their ranks may be injured. >> I was scared when I found myself on the ground. >> With 6,000 firefighters and 1500 vehicles, the Boosteron Department is one of the best equipped in France. I stabilize. I want to roll it back. I stabilize. >> On land, in the air, or on the water, they observe and stand ready to intervene. >> Go on. For the soldiers of fire, this season will long be remembered. You will witness their daily lives, seven days a week, 24 hours a day, battling the flames. [Music] [Applause] Okay. [Music] Support. [Music] [Music] After a hot, dry spring, the summer ignites like a match. Summer is the season of forest fires, and this year they'll be relentless. The firefighters will have to prove what they're capable of. military technology, operational tactics, social networks, but also a renewal of ancestral knowhow. The firefighters will surpass themselves to protect the Mediterranean forest. But suspicious fires, sometimes threatening cities, will put their skills to the test. The pressure is so strong that columns of reinforcements will come from neighboring departments, then the whole of France. Welcome to the SDIS-13 Fire and Rescue Forces of Boosterone. on alert 24/7 with the fire brigade. [Music] Marseilles Cody's 13 headquarters of the department's fire brigade. At 5:00 p.m., Colonel Gregory Alleó, director of the Busheron Brigade, reviews the weather conditions with his staff. >> Let's begin. Good evening, everyone. The main issue for the department is the strong winds that we thought would stop on Thursday will continue blowing until Friday. >> They analyze the fire risks and organize the unit's preventative safety measures for the next day. We'll closely monitor Thursday night. It'll be July 14th, so we'll come back to that. Thank you for your mobilization. Best case scenario, we'll meet tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Good evening, everyone. But unfortunately, it's not the best case scenario. Colonel Gregory Eleion's forecasts prove to be wellfounded, and the troubles begin soon. A series of fires will soon ravage the Blue Coast, creating massive difficulties for the firefighters. Today, eight small wildfires, six are criminal. It's a calm day for the firefighters, but it won't last. At 900 p.m., the water bomber helicopters are put to sleep. The alert is suspended for the night. The pilots have organized a dinner in the hanger. Colonel Gregory Alleion is present, and these relaxed moments help the team to relax before the shock of the summer. But the shock comes now. >> Fire station. >> In case you didn't know, a fire just broke out north of Shaton Martig. >> Do you know about the fire in Shaton Martig? >> The fire just started. Hello, I'm calling to report a fire in Shaton Martig near >> Cody's 13 handles the crisis. It organizes relief efforts and sends a mobile command post to the field named Papa Charlie. >> A fire in KD22 near Padhat. Can you check it? >> A fire has been reported along the highway that runs along the Blue Coast. It's 9:35. >> Can I confirm? >> Yes, it's good. You can validate. It's confirmed. [Music] Pinus 2 in chat matik sector north of the highway 55. It's confirmed. >> Copy that. Intervening in chaturf with kilo delta 22 echo 1.2 at valon do and leazison with co 723. You copy? >> Attention. The fire in shadowf is moving up spreading on the hill towards the plateau. Flying above the firefighters, Horus 13, an aircraft specially equipped for military surveillance, observes the situation and transmits its data in real time to Cody's 13. Horus' infrared images are striking. They show a shower of sparks carried by the wind that are lighting new brush fires minute after minute. At night, the canid airs can't fly. It's impossible for a plane to weed between power lines or land blindly to fill its water tanks. So, the firefighters will engage only on the ground. In place, the mobile operations command post, the COS, works in permanent contact with Cody's 13 in Marseilles. In Papa Charlie, the field HQ, they organize militarystyle tactics to combat the fire. Co. Papa, come in. For now, the two main emergencies at the Chaton fire are one, protect the antenna essential to air traffic at the airport of Marseilles. Two, prevent the fire from spreading to the Blue Coast. The Blue Coast, a dream coastline. But if the firefighters can't stop the fire in 2 hours, it'll be a nightmare and tomorrow just a field of ashes. 11:30 p.m. The situation deteriorates. Burning smoke columns draw fresh air in and accelerate the mistl. It's a vicious cycle. The fire creates its own wind, which in turn stirs up the fire and carries the embers still further. Young team members and the old hands. Nobody wants to see their provenance burn. The man who fights all the region's local fires is Lieutenant Jeanjac Porchier. a central figure in the fight against forest fires. I became a firefighter because my roots are here. Both my parents and my grandparents were farmers. For me, seeing a forest burn is a tragedy. >> I'm going to be right behind you during many fires. So, if you hear me yelling, don't panic. There'll be a good reason. >> Despite his rough character, this older firefighter is appreciated by all and known for his intimate perception of the environment. There's not enough water. When I look at the amount of rainfall in 2015, I realize it's only half of 2014's rainfall. That's not good. Every day, I think that if it doesn't rain soon, we're going to be in trouble this summer with forest fires. Everyone has to be ready and very aware that something big may happen any day now. Jeanjhac's mission is to supervise the expansion of the right flank of the blaze with a very particular method with the tactical fire unit. The firefighters have renewed the ancestral counter fire technique and they want to rehabilitate it. >> The tactics fires unit's mission is to use the old methods that the farmers and shepherds used against fires. We'll use fire against fire incorporating more modern methods of course. A real challenge for the firefighters who are sometimes labeled as pyromaniac. Needless to say, failure is not an option. [Music] >> We're under the power lines, guys. Right under them. Be careful. That'll light up. >> This is one of the first times this method is used in the department. We're here to put out the fire. We must convince the commanding officers that our methods work with the okay of our department chief. >> So, where's the truck? >> Then we witness a strange scene. At the gates of hell, the tactical fire unit tours the fire zone, methodically pouring flaming gasoline on the ground. >> Okay, keep it in line. >> The challenge is this. The fire arriving at us from 200 yd must pass this line. That's our challenge. We don't have enough fire engines to fight with water. So, we're going to use fire against fire. When the wildfire gets 50 yards from our fire, the two of them will attract each other. Then, since the wildfire won't have anything to consume anymore, it will die down automatically. We can make ours accelerate or slow down. We're not going to let a raging wildfire overcome us. With our fire, we can prevent that. >> Their method works. The controlled flaming brush goes out quickly, producing a fuel depleted zone. When the wildfire arrives, it finds nothing left to burn and slows down. >> Let's take that path over there. >> Over there. >> Yeah. Taking advantage of a lull in the action, two CCF water tank trucks, including number nine from the Martig Station, drive into the woods to defend an isolated valley, unaware that they'll run into a disaster. While the trucks move away, the commander of operations in the mobile HQ chooses to regroup his troops on a defensive line impassible for fire. The trucks aligned on a forest path await the arrival of the front line of flames. [Music] The crews are nervous. They start using their nozzles, but the fire is still out of reach and the small nozzles are ineffective. The officers calm their teams, monitoring that they don't waste water because what is coming their way is indeed a duel to the death between man and fire. Meanwhile, in the Luin station, warrant officer Jean Luke Cano and Corporal Sebastian Kqua, who are on call, are awaiting to know whether they will be affected in the fire of Shatonuf. And Sebastian worries he may not know what a big forest fire truly is. I joined the firefighters after the big fires from um 2000 and 2010. So my experience is somewhat limited. I was trained to be truck chief, chief of a CCF. I'm a bit apprehensive. I've never intervened on big fires. Yet I have to lead my team in one. So I don't know how I will react in that kind of situation. I'll have to manage three crew members and give them confidence. It'll be an interesting challenge. At the Chaton fire for the firefighters awaiting the flames. This is the calm before the storm. But not for long. At the bottom of the valley, the heat increases the treere's temperatures and they give off flammable vapors. Then suddenly the woods explode into flames again. The emergency siren from one of the two isolated trucks that drove off is heard on all frequencies. >> Where's the call coming from? >> The valley has spontaneously flamed up around the two trucks. >> Code is 13 here. Emergency. Emergency. Emergency. Emergency procedure ongoing. Radio silence on channel 8. >> Somewhere in the fire. The crew is in distress. Caught by the fire. Colleagues who will die if they can't be found. Code is 13 here to the station transmitting on channel 8. Please identify yourself. >> The command HQ is unable to communicate with the isolated trucks and the fire leaves them no respite. >> The fire has reached the plateau. We'll try to stop it. >> Their light nozzles can't stop a wall of flames of around 2,000° F. It's the water cannons of the CCFS trucks that hold 13,000 L of water that attack the fire's front line. >> It's coming on strong on the left. >> It's coming on strong. All the engines are ready to leave just in case. >> The Cody's persists in trying to reach the lost trucks on frequency 08. >> To the truck transmitting on channel 8, please identify yourself. The heavy trucks have brought down the flames, but their water tanks are empty. They have to fill up from a huge tank installed here by the firefighters several years ago. It's waited patiently. Finally, after several minutes of stressful silence, the Cody has managed to establish a radio link with the isolated trucks. >> This is 13 Cotis. You sent a distress call. What's going on? >> CCF9 here. The fire came over us. Everybody is inside the truck. >> Share your position relative to the fire. >> North 4323 East 0509. >> The situation is getting worse in Chatau Nurf. We've got four injured firemen. >> They've escaped the worst. The crew of CCF9 escaped with severe burns to the face and hands, but worse, they almost died. >> On the defensive line, nowhere spiked. The flames are now close. The time for the confrontation has come. The teams advance into the middle of the fire and attack with their nozzles. [Music] >> Papa Charlie, right flank, left flanks. >> Among the firefighters, the fire is personified as an evil beast with a flank, a rear, and a head. She'll try to grow, expand her flanks, regenerate from the rear. Her head is death progressing, consuming everything in front of her. >> On the right flank, for now, the fire seems controlled. The monster is defeated, but the head that had been decapitated has regenerated. The fire suddenly picks up and pierces the tactical barrier of Jeanjac's team. It's threatening the Maran air traffic information antenna and nothing seems to be able to stop it. >> We have two tanker trucks attacking the head on the plateau. There are a lot of bursts. I think we'll get blown away. >> If the fire picks up, it will sweep through the coastal towns. >> It's simple. We need to stop it before it reaches our line. Otherwise, we won't have the time to remobilize our equipment and go to the blue coast. The fire will surely be ahead of us. It may look like a truck is going fast. It may look like an intervention team moves quickly, but it's not true. >> We need to drive miles and miles on fire paths where we can't go over 40 mph. All of this takes time. >> Jeanjac urgently launches a second tactical fire downwind of the tower. >> Come on, guys. Let's go. Let's go. We've got it. We've got it. >> The tactical fire fulfills its mission. Embers fall on an already burnt ground, and on the fire's front line, the flames finally stop. [Music] The crew of CCF9. These four young people were very nearly burned alive that night. Their flesh felt the fangs of the fire. The air is so hot and unbreathable that the slightest breath burns you inside. It feels like your body is on fire or literally melting. I thought my nose was melting like my skin was falling down. I thought that if I touched my nose, it would stick to my fingers and stretch like a gum. It was our survival instinct that told us to get inside the truck. It was either that or death. Before getting in the truck, I thought we were going to die. Once we were inside, we were screaming, but we were alive. Then time passed and we tried to drive away, but the truck was blocked. We thought we were all going to die inside our fire engine. >> I felt like we were going to die anyway, either inside or out. I thought no one would come for us. It was hard. We were all climbing in the truck, but one of our colleagues had stayed outside. I'd already taken off my glove. So, when I reached out to help him, I felt my hand melt. Then, I saw the rescue coming. I honked. I flashed the truck's lights. We didn't know if they could see us or not. And then they opened our truck's door. >> I'm telling you, seeing someone other than us four was magical. >> In the smoke, dawn rises on Chatau Nook. Despite the mistl and despite the efforts of the men on the plateau, the fire is so violent that it slides between the breezes. It comes out of the woods, moving down the cliff towards the village and occupies areas near the first houses. At the Civil Defense Air Base, Pierre Shisha, an instructor pilot, and Jean Mark Mateo, who is passing his qualification as skipper on the Canada Air, await dawn to take off. We go to the planes, we call and we take off. Let's go. [Music] >> Fortunately, the summer nights are short and the Canada Air can finally take action. The fight continues with a powerful ally. We're flying a Canada CL415. It's not a very fast plane. On the contrary, it's a plane that moves quite slowly, carrying a heavy load of water, about 204 gallons, which it can drop very precisely and with a lot of power. Because it's a very concentrated drop, we can use the blast effect of those 204 gallons of water. >> Contact arrow. Contact arrow. >> Okay, copy that. For information, the pelican will drop on the left flank. Let's see if we've got people on the ground. >> On the ground, the firefighters take shelter. When released, the mass of water can break a tree or kill a man. In the narrow, steep valleys, the trucks can't intervene. These are specialized intervention teams, the DIH, who carve their way through with chainsaws for contact with the last brush fires to put them out. 8:00 a.m. After 11 hours of Dante combat, the fire finally comes to a halt. A few meters from the houses, the firefighters are totally exhausted after a sleepless night. They began their long stowing of equipment scattered in the hills. [Music] But during the day, the mistrol comes back with its strong gusts and the situation that seemed under control comes back again with the report of a new fire just beneath the high voltage line. that Canada Air cannot intervene. Philip Delkier, firefighter in a water bomber helicopter, barely has time to join the pilot before they take off for air drops on the fire before it can spread. [Music] >> We need about a minute to go to the bear ponds, which is the pumping location. From there, we'll need 45 seconds to pump the 265 gallons of water, which the heli tank can carry. 30 seconds later, we can start operating on fires. The Hely tank is a very useful tool thanks to its speed during the trips back and forth between the water source and the fire. It's agile enough that it can intervene in difficult areas like the bottom of a valley. It complements the Canadas works very well. [Music] On the ground, plant roots are on fire. For several days, planes, helicopters, and teams flood the embers that the Mistrell attempts to reignite. The teams verify that the fire isn't just under control, but completely extinguished. The end result is incredible. Desparing trees beg. They demand revenge for themselves and for the thousands of animals burned alive. [Music] The question remains, why do fires begin for no apparent reason? Vincent Pastor, after years at the ONF, the National Office of Forests, became a forest ranger among the firefighters. He leads the investigation into the Chaton fire. Today, my mission is to where the fire started in Shatoni Martig to try to identify the origin of the fire, find clues, find indicators that will help us identify the cause of this fire. >> Vincent joins an investigative unit, the Vulcan RCCI, research for causes and circumstances of fire. He can read the progress of the fire in the ashes and the plants petrified by the fire. The position of the branches, the broken bark give him the direction and height of the flames. >> A pioneer in this innovative approach, he guides his colleagues and shares his experience. This area here is totally burnt. The area just above is barely burnt. We can see two black stripes. So, we need to look over there. >> So, what do you see? >> Nothing really. Jeanjhac makes his contribution. They examine all the clues. Every leaf, every twig, square yard after square yard, these experts retrace the crime scene back to the likely source of the fire. >> My fire went this way. So, if I want to find it, I shouldn't go any further. I have to go back to this area over here. See here? There's barely any damage on the plants. We'll go back to the area there and examine it properly. There, we can see it clearly. Look, that's not bad either. >> Look for where the fire left the most marks. >> Working with the police, we're guaranteed to find the origin of the fire. >> Unfortunately, since there's been a lot of simultaneous fires recently, that also means we're trying to find how our potential suspect operates. In the fire's departure area that's now clearly defined, the police take soil samples to look for traces of flammable products. The samples are brought back to the police forensic lab to make them talk. We'll put our samples in a sterilizer and heat them at 176° F for 8 hours. All the chemical elements in the soil will evaporate and will then be analyzed. >> Did you check everything? >> I checked the row on the right >> using the most advanced analysis technology, a chromatograph. They examine the samples. >> We're at the 22minute mark and the chromatogram is still very, very flat. There's nothing >> again. Nothing. No chemical traces, as if the clues had been concealed or destroyed. This strange silence helps fuel the theory of malice. If it is an arsonist, we know he doesn't use a known flammable liquid. His signature is rather perfect discretion. But no one can remain invisible forever. Very quickly, recreation begins again. And the summer season is in full swing on the Blue Coast, but not for everyone. Not for Corporal Sebastian Kurua on duty at the station. When I'm not working as a firefighter, my main job is completely different. I'm an air traffic controller. My work schedule is a bit special because I can work days and nights on weekends and holidays, too. >> I try to keep July free. I love it. It's the best time of the year. We all meet together in the field and we work in groups to watch out for wildfire. If something were to happen, I'd like to be there to help. >> Sebastian doesn't know it yet, but today will count for him. Tonight will be his baptism of fire. And what a baptism. July the 15th at 3:15, less than 24 hours after the extinction of the first fire, the alarm is sounded by the outlook director, a new fire threatens the Blue Coast. [Music] >> As soon as the alert is confirmed by Cody's 13, Pierre and Jean Mark take off. They are leaders of a group of pelicans, the code name given to the Canada. Hello, Pelican 45. Delta 9 here. Ready for takeoff. >> Pelican 45 and Delta 9. Permission to use the runway. Everything looks good. Are you ready? >> We're ready. Takeoff underway. Power is good. Speed is 50 knots. On the Blue Coast, the commander of emergency operations returns from an aerial reconnaissance of the fire on the Dragon, a helicopter. >> We're reviewing every incom asset. They land at the NS station where the mobile HQ has been set up. The mapping team is already working to provide data. >> Okay, you said they skip the ACP 111. The bottom of the right flank will be the most difficult. There's a lot of woods there. Several houses surrounded by vegetation, too. The beginning of a fire is a crucial moment when many factors come into play. Sectors must be assigned, forces distributed. Once everyone is on mission, it'll be difficult to move the teams. The seven pelicans led by Pierre and Jean Mark are each dropping six tons of water in 12 seconds. Every five or six minutes, the planes go back to take on 42 tons of water with each pass. 42 tons that will be dropped on the OS fire. A strong mistral fans the fire through the hills. At the fire's front line, the burning air distills the vegetation that gives off toxic gases at very high temperatures, ready to catch fire even far from the fire's source. Trees explode like incendiary bombs and the fire progresses by leaps and bounds. If the firefighters are unable to stop it in 2 hours it will ravage the villages of the coast koueer or ones dragon. The helicopter indicates to the pelicans exactly where they must drop their water. Okay, let's get ready to drop. >> Pierre and Jean Mark must fly low over the hills to be more precise. >> While fighting against wildfire, we're forced to fly low, close to the ground in a very hot environment with a lot of turbulence. So, we need a lot of horsepower to be able to fly out of a valley to make it through a pass and get out of those kind of situations. Fortunately, just after dropping their six tons of water, the Canad climbed several meters to escape and dive back into the sea. >> Let's face the wind and keep steady. With this wind force, we'll feel the slightest deviation. >> Steady and horizontal. The balor is deployed. >> The wind's coming in gusts. Taylor tucked back. >> It's the turn of Horus, the aerial surveillance plane to take off and join the action zone at high altitude far above the Pelicans. The flying surveillance unit carries military observation equipment and transmits the best perspectives on the evolution of the fire and the canid air's drops to the firefighters. In the black smoke, the aircraft's incessant cycles announce the outbreak of fire. In an end of times atmosphere, the tourists continue to swim or take selfies while anxiety mounts among residents who already imagine their houses destroyed by the fire. They don't realize how close the fire is to them. This time, the wolf is out of the woods and he's invading the town. Houses on the forest's edge are numerous, and the firefighters can't put a fire truck in each garden. Worse yet, these charming homes are often situated down narrow lanes overgrown with plants, hidden behind high walls or locked gates, making them hard to access. Get up there. Follow him. Make the junction between the two of them. Can you tell him to bring an extension? >> Do you have enough length? People protect their homes as best they can, but must finally evacuate without knowing what they'll find when they return later. >> Come on, let it go. It's useless. >> We have to leave now, folks. >> 500 firefighters are in combat. >> We could still reach the house. But their numbers are insufficient to stop this. >> Just now, the only thing between me and the fire was my protection gear. >> Unfortunately, it's the train that stops. The ties are burning along the tracks. The travelers are trapped between the station and the tunnel. >> Annex, come in. >> HBE ready for drop. Copy. In Ker Lui, the neighboring village, the HBE helicopters are dropping water next to the houses to stop the fire from spreading. Intrepid, the firefighters rescue boat arrives from Marseilles to let an officer off. Local residents demand information, but the commander is obliged to say only the minimum. The situation is tense. He mustn't trigger panic, nor give the impression that all is well. On board, the firemen count the available boats. In fact, they are planning a sea evacuation, but they're not saying it. >> We've got two large boats. Where are they? Further down there. >> The beautiful Kalon is now suffocating under the smoke. >> Evacuate. >> It's become a dangerous trap that must be evacuated immediately. The people are focused on the flames, but smoke inhilation is the primary cause of death in fires. Hold on, please. >> No, sir. Not this way. >> Three mechanisms. Thermal burn, bronchial pulmonary aggression by carbon monoxide and toxic gases, and finally, respiratory distress asphixxia by lack of oxygen. >> Any more people here? >> Down there. They're leaving on the boat. >> Try checking that way. >> Right, I'm on it. >> In urban areas, you must add potential explosions due to propane tanks or cars. The flames block the train and roads. The last residents must be evacuated by the sea. In the smoke, the last boat finally leaves the port, taking its passengers to a safe place under the eye of Horus. While the firefighters are fighting tooth and nail to save the villages around Ensues, Horus spots a second fire starting. Horus confirms a big fire starting 6 milesi southwest of Martig. >> Martig come in Cotis 13 signaling a new fire at Kilo Delta 02 Lima 4.1. >> Copy that. We've got it in sight. This is what the firefighters feared. The new fire risks merging with the ones fire. [Music] >> Ready for takeoff. Destination Martig. Two persons on board. >> Cotis 13 here. Permission to intervene in Martig. Kilo delta 02. Lima 4.1 >> at Luen. Jeanluke and Sebastian received their mission orders. Jeanluke will be the first on the scene. >> Give me the exact coordinates. >> There's a helicopter ahead. >> Priority on the fire in Martig Code 13. Copy that. >> Sebastian was supposed to intervene in OSU, but he's redirected to Martig. The Canada Air must also attack Marti. OS ones will be without air support. A tough blow for these firefighters, most of whom haven't had the time to recover from the Chateau Nuf fire. If it's not arson, it looks a lot like it. And the firefighters are not naive. >> That makes four fires breaking out at the same time. >> The Canad have only 1 hour and 20 minutes to extinguish the fire. They can't intervene against a fire in the dark, so they'll have to land. The tension mounts for Sebastian Jeanluke in position on Route D9. The firefighters are battling to block the fire's head, but the wind carries the embers blightly across the road. Beyond lies a thick pine forest extending to coastal villages and to the fire in OSU. Returning to the field at 1,500 ft, >> the Canada Air keep dropping water up to the very last minute. They succeed in stopping the fire that jumped across the road before turning in for the night. [Music] Most of the trucks have now been sent to Martig. Priority is given to developing fires. This is the rule for avoiding several simultaneous fires. We have no choice. We can't fight against several large fires. So we have to attack the small ones before they get too big to make sure we don't have to handle several big fires at once. We don't have a choice. We don't have enough men to create the proper chain of command or even to fight on the ground. So when there are two large sites, it becomes very complicated. >> Back to things have calmed down, but the fire is not yet completely extinguished. Jeanjacqu discovers a small fire that threatens some pine trees. No trucks, no water. But this doesn't stop an experienced firefighter. >> A fireman saw old stumps burning and nobody was around. 3/4 of the fire engines went back to the fire in Martig. We're miles away from the edge without enough water. We tried asking the inhabitants, but they've been evacuated. There's no one to give us water and we can't see any garden hose. So, we handle it like the old days. It works very well. >> We rake and clean the area surrounding the fire, and we let the fire consume itself. We'll cover it with earth tonight. We'll let it burn for maybe a day, but there'll be no risk of it starting up again. >> It's midnight. Some have been on duty since dawn, and others have not eaten for 12 hours. Their faces look exhausted and blackened. The officers have come for supplies for their troops and take them back to the hills. At the HQ, Matthew Benke and the tactical fire unit of the National Forest Office discuss the situation. The images from Horus show that the fire is being regenerated by the wind. The first fire is cooling down, but then it reaches the D9 road. Colonel Gregory Alleion reviews the situation in the HQ with cost. How many columns are we expecting? >> As the tactical fires proved successful in Chatauf, he decides to replay this card in Martig. >> I want the tactical fire unit ready to operate. >> Jeanjac joins Matsu to go back on the attack. He goes to sleep early. As quickly as possible, they gather the tactical fire group demanded by the colonel. >> Osw is almost done. I just met with the colonel. He said to send everyone to Martig, meaning the forest fire team and the tactical fire unit. I'm with Jeanjac and Christopher who are asking me if you think you can get some people who are rested and in shape to join one or two tactical fire units in Martig. If you can get some replacements, it'd be good. The guys here have worked a lot. So, it'd be great if you could get some guys who are rested. Otherwise, we'll do it ourselves. Meanwhile, at the Canada Air Base, technical teams perform the nightly maintenance on the planes that will take off again at dawn for the Martig fire. They must rinse the seawater out of the engines to keep the turbines from rusting. Every time the plane gets in touch with salted water, we have to rinse it completely to avoid corrosion which is amplified by salt. For rinsing, we use between 70 and 80 L of deionized water. It's important to use deionized water to prevent lime scale and other mineral deposits inside the engine. Checking the fire alarm. Okay. >> Okay. >> During the fire season, the planes fly all day, so only the night is left for doing maintenance. >> Tomorrow at dawn, the planes will take off for the Martig fire. [Music] But for now in Martig, the fire seeks to expand to the left and gain in size. Without canned air in a thick pine forest, they have to walk and the technical fire is their best solution. Metu and Jeanjac finally managed to gather their team. Sebastian Corwin joins them and will experience his first tactical fire. >> We just got deployed on tactical counter fires. It's something I don't know at all. The basic idea is to burn areas which won't be able to burn later. They received the mission to stop the development of the fire's left flank. >> We will extinguish what's burning immediately. We'll be ready to prevent it from getting bigger. We get a water hose ready and after that they light a fire that we keep completely under control and under surveillance. Once the area is sufficiently burnt, I start extinguishing our fire with my fire engine crew. After the fire is put out, we keep going. Ideally, we should treat all the edges of the fire that way. We're following them. Every 20 yards, I have to add an extension to the hose. The hose is only 20 yards long, and I can't drag it. So every time they go a little further, I unplug the nozzle and add another extension so they can advance. This surface can't burn anymore because it's already burnt under our control. It'll prevent the fire from spreading beyond the barrier that we've created. It works. That's what's great. The growth of the left flank is stabilized, but the head that's regenerated rushes to the southeast and it will jump over the road. This is an opportunity to end it. The emergency operations commander decides to rely on the road to create a defensive line. Then the wall of flames arrives, determined to hit hard. But it takes more to make an angry firefighter retreat. [Music] For now, we're attacking the fire. Try to work with a tanker truck nearby. Come on, guys. Come on. The fire is held back. It's crushed. Vapors invade the road. That's like a sauna. At that point, we'd managed to reduce the flames. We were really happy. Then we turn around and we realize that there were three or four bright spots in the massive. It means that the fire jumped over us. Ambers had passed us and lighted the other fires 50 yard away. The heavy trucks intervene with their big water cannons and hit the flames. But the new fire escapes and begins to take a course through the hills and towards the coast. The firefighters have only a few seconds to unroll their hoses and run after it. >> We had to hurry. We crossed the road again quickly. We unrolled the hoses again to reach new fires and put them down. >> It's their last chance. They have to make their way into the thorny scrub to the flames and irrigate. Irrigate. Irrigate. Finally, the fire is caught and finally extinguished. >> Are you okay? >> We ran after it and we got it. [Music] Dawn rises over the exhausted firefighters. During a well-deserved meal, they share their experiences. >> Sebastian tells Jean Luke how he experienced his first big fire. >> Come see me. Because this is my first big fire, I was probably more impressed than you. When it starts getting really too hard, too hot, we think of the immediate environment. Is there a house? Is there another truck? Is that truck in danger? Am I myself in danger? And we will lose sight of the global attack of the particular fire. Just wanting to ensure the safety of the people directly around us and around the truck. The fire is contained, but it must be killed off before the mistrol and the heat reignite it. Captain Bares and Lieutenant Muelli of the helicopter intervention unit take off from HQ. They make a reconnaissance flight with Colonel Skilari, who will take command of the emergency operations. In these miraculously preserved woods, they notice a large new fire smoldering on the side of a ravine inaccessible to trucks. >> That big smoke is in the middle of a woods. three hectors. And this is where I'd like to put the DIH. >> The DIH, the helicopter intervention unit, is a team that specializes in interventions on inaccessible terrains. >> We'll have to cross 200 yd on foot to reach the attack zone. >> DIH, guys, we're going. >> Robert, where's Robert? >> Robert Muelli, a pillar in the DIH, prepares the operation. >> Your attack point is there. >> Be careful. Two canairs are working there, too. >> I see them on the left. >> The airspace is occupied by pelicans and trackers that have been irrigating the zone since sunrise. >> Let's land here. >> The helicopter slips into the field and Robert prepares the intervention of the men on foot. Not far from the cliff, he installs a portable system that will feed the hoses. Let's get to the truck, irrigate the ground, and then we can establish. Here, >> the DIH team climb the slopes, installing hoses and booster pumps all the way to the fire source to thoroughly drown the last embers. >> Okay, I'm coming. This time the fire was able to enter human territory. It destroyed buildings and ruined families. [Music] Little by little, the residents come back to see what's become of their houses. Look, the aluminum melted. It melts at 1,500° F. It's aluminum from the motor. >> It's incredible. >> When I saw there was a lot of smoke, I told the children to leave. I didn't want them to get intoxicated. >> At noon, while we were having lunch, the fire started again. The helell tank dropped water twice on the trees because they were burning again. The most important thing is to keep the people safe. If things burn, well, so be it. >> Intentionally or not, this fire was lit by someone. These fires that start without reason in deserted spots during the mist exasperate the population and intrigue journalists. Stefan Rosi, who is a journalist at the Province, followed the story from the beginning. Going into the field and interviewing people, we realized that the night of the fire in Martig, someone saw a man rush out of the brush and flee by car. Just a few seconds later, the first flame started. The witness had the right reflex. He called the police. The fire made a loop. It started in Chatauf, went onto the Blue Coast, then came back to Martig. Thanks to the analysis of surveillance cameras, we spotted a vehicle on the site of the fires. This guy's there at the start of several different fires when there's no reason for him to be there at all. He's someone fascinated by fire. >> The net closes around the arsonist who thinks he's invincible until he's stopped. He'll keep it up. But his footsteps, as tenuous as they are, are all patiently collected by the police who start to understand his motus operendi. He'll take more and more risks and eventually make an error that will cause his arrest. >> The soldiers of fire fought relentlessly against the flames. Better prepared, better equipped, they were faced with increasingly violently attacks in a fragile environment with isolated houses at the mercy of the fires. Three large fires in three days. A thoughtout arson planned to cause maximum damage. That too is summertime for the dedicated firefighters. [Music]