Wildfire in southern France burns homes and forces evacuations

A fast-moving wildfire in southern France forced evacuations on Sunday as more than 600 firefighters and water-bombing aircraft worked to contain it, authorities said.

The fire broke out near Draguignan in the Mediterranean Var region after days of extreme heat. Authorities said strong winds and dry vegetation helped the flames spread.

The prefecture said the blaze burned 10 homes, damaged nine others and left one firefighter with minor injuries. Authorities evacuated 150 people from two affected towns as the flames reached the edge of built-up areas. The evacuees were housed in a community hall and a school.

The fire first scorched about 60 hectares in Taradeau before jumping to Les Arcs-sur-Argens, where it burned another 120 hectares in less than two hours. By late Sunday, it had burned nearly 200 hectares and was still not fully under control, although authorities described the situation as favourable.

Var prefect Simon Babre said about 615 firefighters were deployed, with reinforcements from four neighbouring departments. Five Canadair water bombers, four firefighting helicopters and two Dash aircraft were also used.

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

Southern France was also under another heatwave. Temperatures had passed 40C in parts of the Var region on Saturday, and authorities kept an orange heatwave alert in place for Monday.