Wildfire re-ignites in southern France's Var, burning 1,000 hectares and forcing 2,500 to evacuate

Re-ignition of the Gros Bessillon fire

On Friday 31 July, around 1:30 pm, the Gros Bessillon wildfire that had been declared contained three days earlier erupted again south of Correns. Prefect Simon Babre said violent mistral gusts with stormy winds fanned embers still smouldering from the original blaze. Within six hours the fire had raced across 1,000 hectares, feeding on drought-parched vegetation and a thick smoke plume visible across central Var. The department was under an orange heat alert with temperatures forecast to reach 40°C. Water-bomber helicopters and Canadair aircraft began intensive drops within minutes, but steep terrain and the mistral kept the fire advancing.

Il y a eu un phénomène de rafales de mistral avec des vents orageux qui ont attisé les braises encore incandescentes.

Evacuations and road closures

By mid-afternoon the prefecture ordered the evacuation of several neighbourhoods and a campsite in Correns, then extended the order to Montfort-sur-Argens, Le Val and Châteauvert. FR-Alert messages detailed which streets should leave and which should shelter in place. Around 2,000 people had been evacuated by late afternoon, a figure later revised to 2,500 as the fire advanced. Gendarmes blocked access roads, and several local axes were shut entirely to keep them clear for emergency vehicles. Residents waiting under a falling ash cloud described a scene of mounting alarm.

C’est venu un peu trop proche du village. Ça s’est un peu approché, donc c’est normal, on s’inquiète.

Another resident who had fled said, "Le feu est à 200 mètres, il vaut mieux partir." A witness marvelled at the intensity: "Les Canadair, ils lâchent tout, et le feu a repris en deux secondes."

Firefighting deployment

By 4 pm, 500 firefighters, six water-bomber helicopters, six Canadair, two Dash aircraft and 40 gendarmes were committed to the operation, with crews focusing on protecting the villages of Correns and Montfort-sur-Argens. The prefecture urged the public to stay away from the area and to give priority to rescue convoys. The re-ignition came during a week that also saw a separate wildfire in Brignoles, about 20 kilometres away, which burned 130 hectares and forced evacuations overnight on Wednesday before being brought under control.

The original Gros Bessillon blaze

The earlier fire had begun on 21 July from a field in Pontevès. Over eight days it consumed 4,500 hectares, cut a swathe across the Gros Bessillon massif and encircled several villages of the Provence Verte region, Correns among them. Authorities declared the fire fixed on 28 July, but the combination of residual hot spots, the extreme heat and strong mistral proved enough to rekindle it on Friday.