A Danish couple lost their car, mobile home and all belongings when wildfire forced evacuation from a French campsite, and their complaint raises a question about who is responsible for emergency warnings when tour operators send families abroad.
Emma Nonbo and Thor Oppenhagen say there was no evacuation plan at the Marvilla Parks campsite by Lac de Thoux in the Gers department of southern France when fire swept through the site in early July. They tell TV 2 no staff walked the grounds with megaphones and no alarm posts stood ready. The couple says they only realized they had to leave when smoke and heat from the fire reached the campsite.
Dansk Bilferie, which arranged the stay, says guest safety was its highest priority throughout. The operator adds it worked closely with local partners on affected campsites. But the company now declines to discuss the specific case because the couple has filed a formal complaint.
What happened at the campsite
The family had traveled to southern France with children, grandchildren and two dogs. It was the couple’s first self-drive holiday. They say the fire reached the campsite and they were told to leave, but they saw no organized warning system in action.
According to Thor Oppenhagen, as reported by TV 2, there was no plan for anything. The couple says they lost not just a holiday but everything they brought, including their car and mobile home. The incident occurred during ongoing forest fires in southern France, where local authorities ordered evacuations in the area around the campsite.
The dispute over duty of care
The couple moved on to other French campsites after the fire, where they say evacuation infrastructure was visible. Posts displayed emergency plans, megaphones hung ready, and alarms were installed. That contrast drives their complaint: they argue the first site lacked basic crisis systems.
Dansk Bilferie responds that it handled the incident in cooperation with partners and supported affected guests. The company has not said whether it views evacuation procedures as the campsite operator’s responsibility or its own. No compensation figure or settlement timeline has been disclosed.
The legal question for package holidays
The TV 2 report does not clarify whether the booking was sold as a package travel contract or a campsite-only arrangement. That distinction matters. Under EU Directive 2015/2302 on package travel, organizers generally carry broader duties for proper performance of included services by local partners, subject to exceptions for unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances, requiring case-by-case assessment.
Camping bookings through Danish agencies can combine transport, accommodation and site services. For residents in Denmark, including internationals, contract terms and complaint routes for campsite packages may be less familiar than well-publicized airline passenger rights.
What travelers should do
Anyone facing a similar dispute should document everything immediately. Keep booking confirmations, receipts, photos of damage and copies of all messages from the operator or campsite. Submit a formal written complaint to the travel company and ask for a written decision with a compensation basis.
Check your insurance policy for fire damage, temporary accommodation and destroyed luggage abroad. Home contents and travel policies often cover these losses, but the coverage depends on your specific terms. If the trip was sold as a package, the Danish travel complaints system may apply once the seller has issued its decision.
The broader risk for summer travelers
Wildfire evacuations have occurred repeatedly in recent summers in parts of southern Europe. What remains unresolved is who ensures that emergency procedures exist and function when disaster strikes a foreign campsite sold through a Danish agency.
Dansk Bilferie says it takes guest safety seriously and cooperated throughout. The couple says they did not experience any on-site communication or visible emergency measures corresponding to that cooperation. The complaint is now under review, and no public finding has been issued.
The couple’s holiday was partly saved by the operator’s help in relocating them to other sites. But they argue the initial response was inadequate, and they want compensation for what they lost. The outcome may shed light on how one Danish tour operator’s responsibilities for emergency readiness at partner campsites abroad are assessed, but it will not in itself settle the wider legal question of liability for natural-disaster risks under EU package travel rules.
