A rapidly spreading wildfire that ignited in a field in Pontevès on Tuesday has charred roughly 1,700 hectares in the Var region, coming after multiple blazes hit southern France amid the country’s third heatwave of the year.
Between 300 and 400 residents were evacuated around the villages of Cotignac, Montfort-sur-Argens and Correns as flames advanced within hours. Nearly 1,000 firefighters were deployed to the ground, supported by eight Canadair water-bombers, four helicopters and two Dash aircraft. More than 2,300 homes lost electricity.
Four firefighters and two Pontevès residents suffered smoke inhalation, and a fire truck was damaged during operations, though all injuries were reported as minor.