On 3 October 2025, the last firefighting aircraft left the pélicandrome located within Bordeaux-Mérignac Air Base (base aérienne 106 – BA 106) of Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace (the French Air and Space Force), thereby marking the end of this year’s wildfire response operations.
In 2025, the wildfire season in France began unusually early, accompanied by severe drought conditions reported in June. By the end of the following month, more than 5,900 separate fire outbreaks had been recorded, with approximately 24,000 hectares scorched nationwide – a figure already well above the annual average. The most devastating fires occurred in the Aude region, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, and the Narbonne area.
Since the end of June, the Bordeaux pélicandrome had been preparing for this year’s summer wildfire season. The duty officially commenced on 1 July 2025 and concluded after more than three months of intense activity for Sécurité civile (the French Civil Protection Service) teams. Operating from the BA 106, aircraft and helicopters carried out numerous firefighting and surveillance missions across the southern regions of France.
The aforementioned pélicandrome is a specialised facility designed to accommodate and resupply various types of water bombers, the aircraft essential for combating wildfires and protecting natural areas.
The term was created by merging two French words – pélican and aérodrome – literally meaning “pelican” and “airfield”, ultimately describing a place from which the pelicans fly. It originates from the Canadair CL-415 amphibious firefighting aircraft operated by Sécurité civile, which use the radio call sign “Pélican”. The CL-415 is one of three aircraft types that form the backbone of the French national aerial firefighting fleet, alongside the twin-engine Dash 8 Q400-MR (Multi-Role) and the single-engine Air Tractor AT-802 F.
There are a total of twenty-two pélicandromes in France, including the one at Bordeaux-Mérignac, which is capable of refilling the firefighting aircraft with both water and fire-retardant products.
Located within the BA 106 area, the Bordeaux pélicandrome is equipped with six Air Tractor and Dash 8 aircraft. That facility is as a key component of the firefighting system in south-western France, alongside the bases in Limoges, Mont-de-Marsan, and Cahors.
In August 2025, the base inventory was strengthened with the addition of an AS350 helicopter, codenamed Charlie 33. Assigned to Service départemental d’incendie et de secours (Departmental Fire and Rescue Service – SDIS) of the Gironde region, the rotorcraft was used to assess and monitor fires in the area, coordinate all aerial firefighting units, and guide ground response teams.
According to the final reports, over 16,000 hectares had been burned in the Aude and Corbières regions by the end of the summer. Carcassonne and Gironde were among the main areas of vigilance.
During the 2025 wildfire season, the BA 106 was on duty 24/7 for over three months and recorded 629 aircraft operations.
All photos © Etat-major des armées / French Ministry of Defence. Information from the press releases of the French Ministry of Defence – published on the MoD page in August and October of 2025 – were used, in accordance to the etalab-2.0 licence.
