Fast-moving wildfire in southern France forces hundreds to flee


FILE PHOTO: Flames burn through a forest near Ponteves in the Var department, southeastern France, during a wildfire fueled by dry conditions following a heatwave, July 21, 2026. REUTERS/Manon Cruz/File Photo

PARIS, July 22 (Reuters) - ⁠A fast-moving wildfire that erupted ⁠in the Var department in southern ‌France on Tuesday has burned more than 2,500 hectares and forced 400 people to flee their ​homes, local authorities said ⁠on Wednesday.

"The situation ⁠has been very difficult. Some 1,100 firefighters ⁠fought all ‌night," said Commander William Vogl, a spokesperson for the ⁠Var firefighters, on RMC radio.

• The ​fire was ‌not yet contained on Wednesday morning ⁠but winds ​should be "more favorable" today despite high temperatures, he said.

• The Var prefecture said ⁠2,300 households were left without ​power on Wednesday mostly in the village of Cotignac.

• Most of the evacuations ⁠took place around the villages of Ponteves, Cotignac, Sillans-la-Cascade, Correns and Montfort-sur-Argens.

• Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent and ​many scientists say human-driven ⁠climate change is increasing the intensity of ​heatwaves, droughts and wildfires, ‌while also creating conditions ​for sudden, destructive storms.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)

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