A fast-moving wildfire broke out in southern France on Tuesday, forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes as nearly 1,000 firefighters and water jets battled to extinguish the blaze.
The fire swept through the wooded hills of the Vaal region, burning 1,700 hectares in just a few hours and prompting the evacuation of nearly 400 people, the region’s top official said.
Simon Barbre, the prefect of the region between Marseille and Nice, said: “The fire is spreading along the Grande Bessillon mountain at a very fast pace, which is completely unexpected given the weather conditions and the weakening winds.”
He said evacuations were taking place around the villages of Cotignac, Montfort-sur-Argen and Correns. Many of the people who were moved to safety came from Ponteves, where the fire started, and from the nearby village of Zealand-La Cascade.
According to Météo-France, very dry conditions in the region have led to extreme forest fire risks.
Barbre said crews were racing against time to lay down flame-retardant barriers before the flames spread.
An AFP reporter near Cotignac saw a huge plume of gray smoke billowing from behind a flame-engulfed ridge.
“This fire is an absolute priority for the entire region right now,” Vaal Fire Chief Eric Grohin said, adding that between 900 and 950 firefighters were deployed to the scene.
-“major disaster”-
“It’s growing very fast and is spreading to other villages,” said Isabelle Scarica, one of about 50 volunteers in Ponteves preparing sandwiches for firefighters.
She said the situation was “a major disaster”.
A fire truck was damaged and four firefighters and two Pontwith residents suffered minor smoke inhalation, according to local authorities.
Firefighters used eight Air Canada water bombers, four water-sprinkler helicopters and two Dash aircraft to conduct more than 100 airdrops of water and retardant before the planes were grounded for the night.
Firefighters have been battling wildfires that have broken out across France on an almost daily basis in recent weeks as the 2026 wildfire season gets an earlier-than-usual start, driven by recurring heat waves and drought.
Another fire broke out between Sunday and Monday near Arcles-sur-Argen in the Var region, burning 200 hectares and destroying homes.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said that nearly 40,000 hectares of land have been burned in France since the beginning of this year, “far more than the area burned in all of last year.”
Wildfires are also active elsewhere in France.
In the Alps, fires sparked by lightning that started five days ago burned 130 hectares in a remote area of the Eklings Mountains.
On the Mediterranean island of Corsica, firefighters are still battling blazes near Corte nine days later.
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This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.
