Hervé Trentin, a veteran firefighter, stood on the edge of a charred section of forest wiping tears from his cheeks. It was the second time he had cried that morning. He and his team were moving around an area south of Bordeaux trying to stay ahead of a megafire. Their job was burning the forest, to create firebreaks - a tactic they are trained to master. They are the only ones in the region capable of doing the job. Trentin grew up there, and setting his home soil alight was disturbing. He said ‘The forest needs over thirty years to recover.’ In July a megafire appeared to be under control, but the heat remained in the earth, creating a ‘zombie fire’ that re-emerged and accelerated new fires in the dry conditions.