Fire in the Var: the heavy price paid by the tourist village of Grimaud – France 3 Régions

Homes ravaged by flames, hundreds of vacationers receiving emergency accommodation, burnt vines … the town of Grimaud has paid a heavy price in the face of the fire that has hit the Var since Monday, August 16.

From castrophic, the results have passed to dramatic. Two bodies were found on Wednesday in a home completely destroyed by fire. The causes of their deaths have yet to be determined. One of the victims could be a young woman of 32 years old, who had disappeared in the area of ​​the commune.

The flames did not spare the homes and tourist structures located to the west of the town. The Charlemagne campsite was completely destroyed, the tourists were evacuated in time. Detonation noises were even heard in the vicinity. Gas canisters may have exploded.

The animals of a ranch evacuated in time

Nearby, the Mène ranch was also destroyed by fire. Thanks to the help of a dozen volunteers, the animals were able to be evacuated in the middle of the night. Of the 150 animals, only two pigs were left behind.

“I arrived here, I was five years oldsays Gino Colanesi in the midst of ruined buildings. The land was bare, we built it all as a family. “

The Mène ranch in Grimaud was ravaged by the flames of the fire on Tuesday https://t.co/BxVQ49fgbU pic.twitter.com/qaQkRpXFW5

– France 3 Côte d’Azur (@ F3cotedazur) August 17, 2021

“We wonder if we will be home tomorrow”

From Monday evening, residents and evacuated holidaymakers were welcomed in the Beausoleil room and the Grimaud sports complex. 500 people have found refuge there, some with their pets.

In the village, solidarity quickly took hold. A dozen volunteers have taken turns for two nights to welcome the castaways of the fire. “This morning, an early fruit came from Draguignan to deliver fruit”, explains Guillaume Lelard, responsible for the events and animation pole at the tourist office.

But the uncertainty remains for those displaced: access to the campsite and to the homes affected by the flames is still limited. “We wonder if we will be home tomorrow, breaths a tourist from Lille, after two nights spent on a camp bed. For the moment we are in total vagueness. “

Some tourists have already decided to return home or have gone to stay elsewhere. For the second night, 240 people slept in the two rooms opened by the municipality.

“We thought we were losing the house”

“We could hear the flames behind the house, the pine cones bursting, remembers Lydie, owner of a bed and breakfast located 400 meters from the Charlemagne campsite. The fire was going so fast, we thought we were losing the house. “ Seeing the flames, she urgently evacuated her tenants at 11:30 p.m.

The fire finally stopped 50 meters from the house. During the night from Monday to Tuesday, she returns several times to try to recover her two cats. The next day, she moved back home to watch: “A little higher up a fire started again, fortunately the inhabitants immediately reported it to the firefighters.”

A fire during the tourist season

While waiting for the electricity to return, Lydie sweeps the ashes that have fallen on the house. “We have vacationers who have canceled their stay, others have decided to stay.” In Grimaud, the tourist season is in full swing.

To the east of the city, spared by the flames, but not by the fumes and ashes, the Domaine du Golfe de Saint Tropez campsite has never been empty. “Some vacationers have left, foreign tourists, but no worries“, confirms Nathalie Layanie.

The director of the campsite is confident: “We are prepared for fires. Once a year, before the tourist season, we carried out an evacuation exercise with the firefighters, the gendarmerie and the police.”

This Wednesday afternoon, south of the town the Cogilin-La Mole sector is still under surveillance. This is one of the two risk areas for firefighters, who repeatedly face fire.