Var wildfire burns 2,500 hectares, 500 evacuated as mistral threatens new flare-ups

Fire origin and rapid spread

The fire started around midday on 21 July near an electric fence in a field in Pontevès, a commune in the wooded, hilly backcountry of Toulon. Within hours it had raced across 1,700 hectares, descending the Gros Bessillon mountain at what prefect Simon Babre called a very high speed, not entirely anticipatable given the climatic conditions. By nightfall, flames were threatening Cotignac, Correns and Montfort-sur-Argens, and the prefecture ordered more evacuations.

The fire is descending the Gros Bessillon mountain at a very high speed, which was not entirely anticipatable given the climatic conditions.

Overnight the fire continued to advance despite a lull in the wind. A prefecture statement at 02:00 on 22 July reported that the blaze had still not been contained and that a new surface estimate would be issued at daybreak. By Wednesday morning, the burned area had grown to more than 2,500 hectares, and authorities warned that the afternoon return of the mistral would create a high-risk window.

Evacuations and damage

At least 500 people have been evacuated, including Dutch tourists who fled a campsite. Emergency shelters were set up in several communes, and volunteers organised via a Facebook group to provide meals and support. Isabelle Scarica, one of about 50 volunteers in Pontevès, called the fire a catastrophe.

It's taken on a huge scale, it's affecting the other villages, it's quite impressive.

The fire has damaged at least 50 homes, ten of which were destroyed. Power lines were also hit, leaving more than 2,300 households without electricity, mainly in Cotignac. Four firefighters and two residents suffered smoke inhalation, and two firefighters were lightly injured. At least three fire trucks were put out of action, one of them trapped by the flames.

Firefighting mobilisation

More than 1,000 firefighters, 350 vehicles and 60 gendarmes have been deployed, with reinforcements arriving from across France. Aerial operations involved eight Canadair water bombers, four helicopter bombers and two Dash planes, which together carried out over 300 water and retardant drops in 24 hours. Fire chief Éric Grohin said the entire zone's absolute priority was this fire.

For the moment the absolute priority of the whole zone is this fire.

Ground crews worked through the night to treat the fire's edges and cool hot spots, taking advantage of more favourable weather. Aerial drops were suspended after dark due to poor visibility but resumed on Wednesday morning.

France's severe fire season

The Var blaze is the latest in a series of daily fire starts across France. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that nearly 40,000 hectares have burned since the start of 2026, much more than everything that burned last year. Satellite data from the European Effis system show that never in 20 years of measurements have so many surfaces burned in France by mid-July. The 2026 fire season began earlier than usual, aggravated by repeated heatwaves and severe drought.

Much more than everything that burned last year.

On Tuesday, two firefighters died in a separate blaze near Bordeaux airport when their tanker truck was trapped by flames. Earlier in the week, another fire in the Var consumed 200 hectares near Les Arcs-sur-Argens.

What comes next

With the mistral wind forecast to strengthen on Wednesday afternoon, authorities are urging vigilance across the Mediterranean arc. Firefighters are racing to create retardant barriers and extinguish residual hot spots before conditions worsen. The prefecture has not yet declared the fire contained, and further evacuations remain possible.