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🇫🇷 France /Disasters & Emergencies

Fires: Situation stable despite flare-ups in Var and Gironde

From Le Figaro · () French

Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Firefighters continue to battle forest fires in the Var and Gironde regions of France, with the situation remaining stable but challenging.
  • The fires, which have already consumed thousands of hectares and led to evacuations, are expected to require prolonged efforts until winter rains.
  • Residents in affected areas face destruction of homes and landscapes, with authorities prioritizing public reassurance and preventing further damage.

Firefighters in France are engaged in a persistent battle against forest fires, particularly in the Var and Gironde departments, where the situation remains stable but requires ongoing, laborious efforts. The task of extinguishing the remaining flames is expected to be a "long haul" lasting several days, according to officials.

It is not yet fixed and it is not on the agenda, as long as we have hot spots.

— Éric GrohinHead of firefighters in the Var department, describing the ongoing challenge of containing the fire.

In the Var region, a fire that began Friday is not yet contained, with "hot spots" posing a continuous threat. Variable winds reaching up to 35 km/h, temperatures exceeding 36°C, and humidity levels around 15-25% complicate the firefighters' work. This blaze has already scorched approximately 1,800 hectares, south of another significant fire that was contained four days prior. In total, about 6,300 hectares in the "Green Provence" area have been affected over the past twelve days, forcing the evacuation of 2,500 people.

It will be a long-term job that will last several days.

— Éric GrohinWarning about the duration of the firefighting efforts.

Residents in villages like Montfort-sur-Argens and Correns experienced temporary relief from confinement but were restricted again to allow emergency services unimpeded access. The primary objective for the 1,500 firefighters deployed is to reassure the population and ensure no more homes are destroyed. In Correns, a village described as a "garden of Eden," over a dozen houses were lost to the fire, leaving behind a scene of devastation with charred cars and melted structures.

The fire moved with dreadful speed. We saw flames at every street corner, it was very anxiety-inducing.

— Nicole RullanThe mayor of Correns, describing the intensity and speed of the fire in her village.

One resident described the fire's rapid advance as "extremely violent" and "very anxiety-inducing." The landscape, once lush, is now a gray expanse of ashes, with olive groves reduced to cinders. This marks the fourth major fire incident faced by firefighters in the central Var region since July 19.

It is of extreme violence. Correns is green, it is magical... It was a garden of Eden.

— Pascal MartinezA resident of Correns, expressing his devastation over the destruction caused by the fire.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Le Figaro in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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