>A devastating wildfire that has already devoured 2,550 hectares in the southern Var region was sparked by a single, mundane malfunction: a faulty electric fence. As flames tore through the dried-out landscape near the picturesque village of Cotignac, local officials pointed to the agricultural equipment as the origin of a firestorm they described as unlike anything in memory.
“It started in Pontevès, from an electric fence that malfunctioned,” Jean-Pierre Véran, the mayor of Cotignac, told France Info on Wednesday morning. He described an inferno that was “monstrous,” adding, “I have never seen anything like it.”
A Landscape Primed for Disaster
The fire, which ignited on Tuesday, found ideal conditions in a region suffering from extreme drought following three successive heatwaves. The parched vegetation acted as kindling, allowing the flames to spread at an explosive speed. Mayor Véran issued a desperate plea for vigilance, highlighting the ongoing human carelessness that can trigger catastrophe. “I am launching another call for caution; there are still people throwing cigarette butts,” he insisted. “When we say it’s dangerous, it’s dangerous!”
A massive firefighting force was immediately deployed, comprising 900 personnel and 350 engines. Before nightfall grounded aerial operations, more than 100 water drops were carried out. By Wednesday morning, authorities reported a tentative shift in the battle. The fire is “for the moment contained within its perimeter, meaning it is no longer progressing much,” a fire service spokesperson stated. However, numerous hotspots persisted, requiring relentless ground work supported by two Canadair and two Dash aircraft scheduled to resume sorties.
Race Against the Wind
The containment is fragile, and firefighters are now locked in a race against the weather forecast. The primary fear is the return of strong winds, expected to intensify across all southeastern departments by the end of the week. Eric Grohin, a senior fire official, underscored the urgency of the coming hours. “Today’s work is going to be crucial because tomorrow we have wind,” he stressed. “I don’t want to have multiple fires pending in the department if we have other risks elsewhere. So we absolutely must work hard on this fire.”
The human cost has been measured in displacement and narrow escapes. Nearly 400 people were evacuated from Cotignac and neighboring communes, with emergency shelters established for those affected. While the final tally of damaged homes was still being assessed, officials highlighted a significant defensive victory. “At least 150 homes were saved,” the fire chief noted, emphasizing that many residences had been directly in the fire’s path on Tuesday. No fatalities have been reported, with injuries limited to smoke inhalation.
At dawn, journalists witnessed firefighters battling flames in residential areas where houses and vehicles had been reduced to charred shells. The scenes were chaotic: flaming utility poles collapsing onto roads and olive groves ablaze. In a striking image of the fight, a fire truck was seen drawing water directly from a luxury villa’s turquoise swimming pool, garden furniture floating on the surface, to defend the property.
This disaster follows another virulent fire that burned 200 hectares and destroyed homes near Les Arcs-sur-Argens earlier in the week. Across France, firefighters are confronting daily fire outbreaks, with the 2026 fire season starting abnormally early due to repeated heatwaves and severe drought conditions.
