Fire in the Var: one dead and injured firefighters, impressive images – Linternaute.com

After more than 72 hours of struggle and more than 7,000 hectares burned, the gigantic fire in the Var is still not under control despite colossal means. Point.

This Wednesday, August 18, three days after the start of the fire, the fire is still not under control according to the firefighters and the prefecture of Var. For the mayor of La Garde-Freinet, the fire is even “very far” from being extinguished and he fears seeing his village hit by flames. To fight against the biggest fire of the summer in the region, 70 firefighters have arrived to reinforce the Drôme and Ardèche while the Bouches-du-Rhône, a neighboring department has also positioned 70 of its firefighters and is ready to add reinforcement because the mistral draws the flames towards the area.

Present in the Var, Emmanuel Macron accompanied by the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin came to the bedside of the firefighters who have been fighting relentlessly for more than 72 hours. Several of them were even injured. “All available civilian means of our civil security have been mobilized. The worst has been avoided, we do not deplore any victims,” ​​he briefly mentioned to journalists. Unfortunately, the Draguignan public prosecutor’s office indicated that a person had died because of the fire on August 18.

Images of fire in the Var

The Var prefecture indicates that 1,200 firefighters and 120 gendarmes are still mobilized to try to contain the fire, evacuate the populations but also secure the roads and property. Two water bomber helicopters, an aerial reconnaissance aircraft, 2 Dashs and 4 Canadair are also mobilized. Many traffic axes are also closed, the RD33 (Le Luc-les Mayons), RD75 (Gonfaron-La Garde-Freinet), RD558 (La Garde Freinet-Grimaud), RD14 (Grimaud), RD2048 (Grimaud), RD27 ( La Môle). RD98 between the Verrerie in Bormes-les-Mimosas and Cogolin, closed in both directions.

For the time being, the origin of the fire has not been identified and all the leads are being studied even if the president of SDIS 83 suspects a “human error” on the BFM TV antenna. “As always, for me, a human error is at the origin of this fire since it started near the Sigues rest area on the highway”