French PM is heckled by furious locals on visit to village that was 'sacrificed' in wildfires to save celebrity enclave

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 05:52 EDT, 18 August 2026 | Updated: 06:27 EDT, 18 August 2026 The French Prime Minister has been heckled by raging locals after their village was 'sacrificed' to save a celebrity enclave.Sebastien Lecornu visited Le Porge in the Gironde region on Monday for a meeting with the mayor after it was devastated by wildfires and 183 homes burned down in late July to August.But residents jeered, whistled and yelled anti-government slogans at the French leader after feeling dissatisfied by the government's response to the disaster.'Where is he? Where is he?' the crowd shouted.Meeting the residents 'would have been the least he could do', said Tony Veiga, a 65-year-old pensioner. 'It really amounts to treating us as if we don't matter.'The furious locals claim firefighters prioritised saving the upscale Cap-Ferret peninsula - where many affluent Parisians take holidays - over protecting the homes of locals.Ludivine Daurignac, the organiser of a group of affected residents in Le Porge who plan to file complaints and get 'truth, transparency and justice', said: 'He doesn't want to meet us. It's a shame – we had things we wanted to say. 'We were met by lines of riot police blocking our access.' The French Prime Minister has been heckled by raging locals after their village was 'sacrificed' to save a celebrity enclave Residents jeered, whistled and yelled anti-government slogans at the French leader after feeling dissatisfied by the government's response to the disaster Le Porge in the Gironde region on Monday for a meeting with the mayor after it was devastated by wildfires and 183 homes burned down in late July to August (pictured)The fire was France's largest since 1949, having burned through 42,000 hectares and brought under control on August 1.The flames came within 10 miles of the Bordeaux area and forced the evacuation of more than 220,000 residents and tourists. Mr Lecornu announced measures to help residents of the southwest hit by wildfires rebuild their lives.Help will include some €12 million (£10.2 million) of aid for the Gironde and Landes regions of southwest France worst-hit by the fires, as well as fast-track processes to rebuild homes.He said this 'will allow local authorities to launch projects without delay and, ultimately, enable them to build a sort of recovery plan'.Lecornu's office said he had spoken with affected residents and farmers.'We have absolutely nothing to hide regarding how fire protection operations have been conducted over the past few weeks,' Lecornu said as he met local officials in the nearby town of Merignac after leaving Le Porge.He had already visited Le Porge on Sunday afternoon to tour the municipality with the mayor - an unannounced trip that took place without press cameras present.🔥 Mégafeu en Gironde : le Premier ministre Sébastien Lecornu est accueilli ce matin par des huées et la colère des habitants en arrivant au Porge, commune complètement sinistrée.pic.twitter.com/JX5BdWdpEp— Infos Françaises (@InfosFrancaises) August 17, 2026 The fire was France's largest since 1949, having burned through 42,000 hectares and brought under control on August 1 A firefighter uses a backpack blower to clear vegetation and create a firebreak during a controlled fire operation in a forest in Le Porge A resident stands in his house destroyed by a wildfire, in Le Porge, south-western France Furious locals claim firefighters prioritised saving the upscale Cap-Ferret peninsula (pictured)Speaking in Merignac, Lecornu announced that building permits for the 'equivalent reconstruction' of homes destroyed by the fires would be issued within a month, or even quicker.Some €10 million will go to the Gironde region and two million to the Landes region to the south.Lecornu also warned he would denounce any insurers who 'do not play the game'.The crisis has been a major test for Mr Lecornu, who was appointed prime minister by Emmanuel Macron in September last year.While he has denied having any presidential ambitions, local reports claim that the president's office was increasingly looking at Mr Lecornu as a viable centrist candidate for the 2027 elections when Mr Macron's mandate runs out.