Nineteen days after it started, the fire on Amsterdam Island is still raging. After the shock, it was time for action.
[Update 03/02/2025; 6 p.m.] – According to our sources, the burnt surface of the island is now estimated at 43%.
The island of Amsterdam, a nature sanctuary, has been on fire for several weeks. The 31 people at the Martin-de-Viviès scientific station were evacuated on January 16, as reported in our pages. In its latest press release dated January 29, the Prefecture of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF) – which administers the territory and runs a crisis unit – estimates that “1,048 hectares have been burnt, i.e. 18% of the island’s surface area.” The same document announces the departure of a French Navy frigate for the disaster zone on Friday, for a one-month mission. The administration specifies four of its objectives:
- fire watch,
- the state of the island’s vital infrastructures,
- securing the equipment,
- investigating the cause of the fire.
After contacting the TAAF spokeswoman, we are able to say that four firefighters from the SDIS on Reunion Island are on the move. The terrain is dry and peaty. There are many homes and little water. They will not be transporting any fire-fighting equipment. The firefighters will be securing the buildings and expect to find pockets of carbon monoxide. The TAAF are counting on rain to stop the fires, but the forecast is not for thunderstorms. Supported by Météo France, the prefecture deplores the dry, windy weather of the last 10 days; however, it announces a decrease in wind intensity. Firefighters will be equipped with a thermal drone to identify hot spots and monitor developments.
TAAF personnel, who know the base well, will be deployed around three areas of expertise: water, energy and transmissions. Indeed, the prefecture reports that the telecommunications system was affected, as was the solar system. According to the Amicale des Missions Australes et Polaires Françaises (AMAEPF), the main cable burned. The aim of this association is to maintain the memory and links between the various French austral missions. Its president, Frédéric Martineau, explains that “according to the testimonies we were able to gather, there was relief when the fire was evacuated, then sadness. Some were just starting their wintering. Frustration too, of course. Now they’re wondering ‘what’s going to happen next’, and wanting to go back.”
These sentiments are shared by the Taafian community on the networks. “The continuity of the missions has been broken”, says the president, a situation never before experienced. According to AMAEPF, this fire is the 10th recorded in 250 years.
What about young sea lions?
Cédric Marteau, co-founder and former director of the nature reserve (the TAAF one), now director at the Ligue de protection des oiseaux, points out that “there have been two in three years, due to drought and climate change. The cliffs at d’Entrecasteaux account for around 80% of the global yellow-billed albatross population that nests there. On the peat plateau, Amsterdam albatrosses are fragile: if 5 to 7 adults are affected, the species could disappear.” He is also concerned about the young sea lions, while the adults may have taken refuge in the water. “We’re calling for a general assessment of biodiversity, which should include the IUCN and associations,” he adds.
At the highest level of the TAAF prefecture, the results of the mission are awaited to consider the conditions for a possible return during the next rotation of the supply ship Marion Dufresne II, and, on a larger scale, possibly rethink the format of TAAF missions.
Reconstruction will come at a price. On January 22, French MP Jimmy Pahun reiterated the need for funding for French polar research – already on a knife-edge – to the Minister of Higher Education and Research. “I reminded the country of the importance of the TAAF and Arctic and Antarctic research for France”, he explained. He is due to meet on Wednesday with the director of the French Polar Institute and Isabelle Autissier, who chairs the TAAF Advisory Council, to discuss the budget.
The fire calls into question the format of research in the TAAF. “Think about the needs of the new vessel that will replace the Marion Dufresne II,” says Cédric Marteau. “Scientific needs too.” We asked the Comité national français de recherches arctiques et antarctiques, the learned society for polar sciences, if they had any views on what should happen next, but they wouldn’t comment without taking a step back from the incident.
Amsterdam is a CO2 measuring point of international importance, second only to Hawaii, but also a district on the heart’s side for those lucky enough to have stayed there.
Camille Lin, Polar Journal AG
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