The fire in the Var still not “fixed”, but more favorable weather conditions

Published on : 08/19/2021 – 09:09

The violent fire which broke out on Monday in the Var “is still not fixed and is still likely to evolve”, but the weather conditions are expected to be “favorable”, said Thursday August 19, the commander of operations of firefighter rescue, Loïc Lambert.

“The fire is not fixed but we are counting on the conditions of the day to announce it when we are sure,” added the firefighter from the Luc command post.

The fire did not progress overnight, continued Loïc Lambert, specifying that “the efforts were concentrated on the sector of Garde-Freinet and Vidauban”.

More than 6,300 hectares burned and two dead

The fire, which broke out on Monday afternoon from an A57 motorway rest area, north-east of Toulon, burned more than 6,300 hectares of forest in the Massif des Maures and the hinterland. from the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. Two people died in the fire, according to the latest report.

“Most areas have been explored,” assured the firefighter, asked about the possibility of discovering new victims.

“The weather conditions made it possible to spend a quieter night: the wind died down and the temperatures cooled,” added Dominique Lain, mayor of Luc and president of the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service. “Our objective is to eliminate all the hot spots which could allow recoveries”, underlined the elected official.

Some 1,200 firefighters are still on the ground, “it is possible that we tend towards 1000”, also indicated the operations commander.

Some 10,000 tourists but also residents were evacuated on Monday evening. On Wednesday evening, 1,300 holidaymakers from the PachaCaïd campsite in the village of La Môle, refugees in a gymnasium in Bormes-les-Mimosas, on the coast, were able to return to their tents and mobile homes.

With AFP