Wildfire in southern France burns 200 hectares, destroys four homes near Saint-Tropez

Fire outbreak and rapid spread

The fire ignited around 15:00 on Sunday 19 July near a football stadium in Taradeau, northwest of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. Within hours it had jumped to the neighbouring commune of Les Arcs-sur-Argens, driven by strong winds and extremely dry vegetation. By Sunday evening the flames had covered 200 hectares, according to the Var prefecture. The prefect, Simon Babre, described the conditions that fed the blaze.

The fire spread extremely quickly in the context of this heatwave and extreme drought.

Evacuations and damage

Gendarmes and firefighters evacuated 150 people from both communes. Evacuees spent the night in community halls and a school. Residents of Taradeau were allowed to return home around 22:00 on Sunday, as were those from some neighbourhoods of Les Arcs. The mayor of Les Arcs, Marcel Florent, recounted the moment the fire reached the town.

A ball of fire descended on the town. Even the firefighters had to take cover.

Four houses were completely destroyed, ten others were impacted, and 15 vehicles burned. More than a hundred homes were saved by firefighting crews. One firefighter suffered a minor burn to the hand; no other casualties were reported.

Firefighting deployment

At the peak on Sunday, 600 firefighters and 200 vehicles were mobilised, supported by Canadair water bombers, Dash-8 aircraft and helicopters. By Monday morning 365 firefighters and around 100 vehicles remained on site. The terrain, a wooded massif with difficult access, complicated ground operations. Bulldozers were used to cut tracks, and crews focused on extinguishing residual hotspots along the fire's edges to prevent rekindling. Commander William Vogl explained the challenge.

It is a wooded massif that is difficult to access because of the relief and the lack of accessibility. Our objective is really to pull hoses, to try to bring trucks closer, and to work on these edges because that is what we fear: rekindling on these edges.

Heatwave and climate context

The Var department was placed under an orange heatwave alert by Météo-France and classified at "extreme" risk for forest fires. Temperatures on Sunday were the highest in France, reaching 40°C, and similar heat was forecast for Monday. The Reuters Climate Monitor noted that the average high in Les Arcs was forecast at 38°C, 11.4 degrees above the normal high for 19 July between 1961 and 1990. Train services between Toulon and Les Arcs were suspended because of the fire.

Current status and outlook

As of Monday midday the fire was no longer progressing but had not yet been declared fixed. Eric Grohin, director of the Var fire service, said the worst had likely passed but urged caution because of fluctuating winds. The prefecture stated that the objective was to fix the fire by the end of the morning or early afternoon. An investigation into the cause has been opened by the gendarmerie, though the origin remains unknown.