New Fire Outbreaks Threaten Communities in the Var

Ponteves – 24 July 2026: Several new fire outbreaks emerged on Friday afternoon in the forest fire area around Gros Bessillon in the Var department, where the blaze has been burning since Tuesday. The situation worsened due to shifting winds, which reignited smouldering hotspots and made firefighting efforts more difficult. The communities of Ponteves, Barjols and Chateauvert were particularly affected. Authorities ordered the precautionary evacuation of several residential neighbourhoods.

According to the situation report of Friday, 24 July, more than 300 people were taken from threatened areas to assembly points. In Chateauvert, the Gendarmerie evacuated three neighbourhoods. Residents in Ponteves and Barjols also received warning messages instructing them to leave their homes. Municipal emergency plans were activated to ensure accommodation and support for those affected.

Around 1,000 firefighters with 265 vehicles remained deployed. They were supported from the air by one Dash water-bombing aircraft, four Canadair water-bombing aircraft, including one aircraft from Croatia as part of European assistance, and three water-dropping helicopters. The priority was to protect people, homes and transport routes from a further spread of the flames.

The fire broke out at midday on Tuesday, 21 July, near Ponteves and quickly spread across the Gros Bessillon massif. According to the incident command, more than 2,700 hectares have now been affected. The fire zone extends between Ponteves, Cotignac, Correns, Montfort-sur-Argens and Chateauvert. The current rekindling does not necessarily mean that the total affected area has expanded, but it demonstrates the continuing danger posed by smouldering hotspots.

Several hundred people had already been evacuated in the preceding days. After a temporary easing of the situation on Thursday, many residents were able to return, but emergency services had warned of renewed flare-ups. On Friday, the wind turned that concern into reality. Firefighters had to adjust their strategy once again while also securing new evacuations.

The toll of the multi-day fire remains severe: according to the information available so far, around 50 houses were damaged, 25 of them destroyed. The pilgrimage sites of Notre-Dame-de-Graces and the Saint-Joseph monastery near Cotignac were protected from the flames. Traffic restrictions remain in force around the affected communities so that firefighters, emergency services and security forces can use access roads.

The Var prefecture and the SDIS 83 fire service are calling on residents to strictly follow official warnings, avoid operational areas and call emergency numbers only in cases of immediate danger. Whether the new fire outbreaks could be permanently contained by the evening depended on the wind, humidity and the success of firefighting operations. The situation remained volatile on Friday evening.