Fire forces evacuations in south France town

MARSEILLE - A fast-moving wildfire in southern France forced the evacuation of dozens of homes on July 19 as more than 600 firefighters and a fleet of water-bombing aircraft battled to contain the blaze, authorities said.

Fanned by strong winds and dry vegetation after days of extreme heat, the fire broke out near the town of Draguignan in the Mediterranean Var region.

The blaze burned 10 homes, damaged nine others and left one firefighter with minor injuries, according to the prefecture.

The wildfire comes as southern France endures another heatwave, with temperatures having passed 40 deg C in parts of the Var region on July 18.

The fire scorched around 60 hectares in Taradeau before jumping to the nearby town of Les Arcs-sur-Argens, where it torched a further 120 hectares in less than two hours.

Around 615 firefighters backed by reinforcements from four neighbouring departments, five Canadair water bombers, four firefighting helicopters and two Dash aircraft were deployed against the blaze, Var prefect Simon Babre told AFP.

As the flames reached the edge of built-up areas, authorities evacuated 150 people from two affected towns, housing them in a community hall and a school.

By late July 19, the fire had burned nearly 200 hectares and was still not fully under control, although authorities described the situation as “favourable”.

Roads into Les Arcs-sur-Argens were closed, while rail traffic between Toulon and Les Arcs was suspended, disrupting train services along the Mediterranean coast.

Authorities maintained an orange heatwave alert for July 20. AFP