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Wildfire in southern France 'contained' after hundreds evacuated from homes
- Nearly 1,000 firefighters and dozens of aircraft battled the fast-moving blaze on Tuesday after flames forced hundreds of people to evacuate.
- For the moment it's been contained in its perimeter, meaning it's not spreading much, regional fire chief Éric Grohin told reporters of the fire that erupted the previous day in the Var region. , he said.
- The fire erupted Tuesday in the Var region and spread at an unexpectedly fast pace, forcing some 400 people to evacuate and devouring 2,550 hectares (6,300 acres), an area roughly twice the size of London's Heathrow airport.
The wildfire that has burned through 2,550 hectares in southern France is now “contained” despite remaining hot spots, regional fire chief Éric Grohin said Wednesday. Nearly 1,000 firefighters and dozens of aircraft battled the fast-moving blaze on Tuesday after flames forced hundreds of people to evacuate. The wildfire that has burned through 2,550 hectares in southern France is now “contained” despite remaining hot spots, regional fire chief Éric Grohin said Wednesday.
Nearly 1,000 firefighters and dozens of aircraft battled the fast-moving blaze on Tuesday after flames forced hundreds of people to evacuate. Issued on: 22/07/2026 - 04:25 Modified: 22/07/2026 - 08:10 By: FRANCE 24 A Dash 8 - Q400MR aircraft drops fire retardant to slow the spread of a wildfire in Taradeau, France on July 20, 2026. © Thibaud Moritz, A blaze that raced through wooded hills in southern France, forcing hundreds from their homes and devouring an area twice the size of London 's Heathrow airport, has been brought under control, firefighters said Wednesday. "For the moment it's been contained in its perimeter, meaning it's not spreading much, regional fire chief Éric Grohin told reporters of the fire that erupted the previous day in the Var region.
, he said. The fire erupted Tuesday in the Var region and spread at an unexpectedly fast pace, forcing some 400 people to evacuate and devouring 2,550 hectares (6,300 acres), an area roughly twice the size of London's Heathrow airport. Nearly 1,000 firefighters and specialised water aircraft battled to contain the blaze in the region that lies along France's Mediterranean coast between the cities of Marseille and Nice.
More than 2,300 homes were without power, the prefecture said overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday. One fire engine was damaged and four firefighters and two residents of Pontèves suffered minor smoke inhalation, according to local authorities. Very dry conditions in the area have caused an extreme forest-fire risk, according to the French weather service Meteo-France.
Fuelled by repeated heatwaves and drought, the 2026 wildfire season began earlier than usual, and firefighters have been battling near-daily outbreaks across France in recent weeks. To display this content from YouTube, you must enable tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading.
To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Cover avion largue un produit ignifuge sur un feu de forêt entre Taradeau et Les Arcs-sur-Argens, près d'Arc-sur-Argens, dans le sud de la France, dimanche 19 juillet 2026. © Manon Cruz, 02:07 Another major blaze burned 200 hectares and destroyed homes in the Var region between Sunday and Monday near Les Arcs-sur-Argens. Nearly 40,000 hectares have burned in France since the start of the year, "far more than was burned during the whole of last year", according to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez.
Source: France 24 EN