'The fire was so fierce behind us': A Var resident’s account of the wildfire
The family packed their bags, neighbours took turns keeping watch, and evacuated residents found shelter as the wildfire swept through the area
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One Cotignac resident has described watching the Var wildfire move closer, as he prepared to leave home at short notice, and seeing the local community come together as firefighters continue to monitor the blaze.
David Smith, a Connexion reader, whose home is in the affected area, said the fire is now contained but firefighters are continuing to deal with remaining hotspots and the risk of changing winds.
“The situation is calm at the moment,” he told The Connexion. “You can see smoke in places and there must still be some smouldering going on, so there is still a high alert at the moment.”
The fire, which started near Pontevès on Tuesday, spread rapidly through wooded areas, affecting around 2,500 hectares of land. Ten homes were destroyed and a further 50 damaged, while hundreds of people were evacuated as firefighters worked to prevent the blaze spreading further.
For Mr Smith and his neighbours, the most uncertain moment came on Tuesday evening, as the fire moved closer.
“We stuck around until about 21:00 on Tuesday, the fire was fierce behind us,” he said. “It was probably 800m away, but moving fast.”
The family eventually decided it was time to leave.
“We just shut the house up and got out,” Mr Smith said. “We went to stay with some friends.”
He explained that changing wind conditions made the situation difficult to predict.
“It seemed that the wind was blowing from the west to start with,” he said. “Then the wind appeared to change direction and go north to south, and the fire swept down the ridge. It seemed to go a lot faster, a lot fiercer.”
Even though firefighters managed to contain the blaze before it reached his home, Mr Smith still said watching the fire spread was unsettling.
“You could see patches of fire jumping down,” he said. “As soon as something caught alight, it would ignite something else, and there would suddenly be eruptions of fire. It was quite unnerving.”
The family was already prepared in case they needed to leave quickly. “We packed a suitcase on Tuesday evening, just in case,” Mr Smith said. “Then we decided we were getting too close. We couldn’t have slept here anyway.”
Some neighbours chose to remain nearby but took precautions overnight, taking turns staying awake to monitor the situation.
“One of them sat up until 4:00, and then went to bed. The other one woke up and sat up, just to keep an eye on things,” Mr Smith said. “If the wind changed direction, it could become dangerous very quickly.”
The family returned the following morning and found their home safe.
“We just shut all the shutters and left, and came back the next morning, and everything was okay,” he said. “I thought it would be, but you just never know.”
Mr Smith also praised the response of the local community and emergency services, particularly firefighters, many of whom are volunteers.
“You realise what the firefighters themselves have been going through, because they are up there and close to this fire, saving us,” he said.
Those evacuated were housed in their local town hall.
“My understanding is the mairie set up temporary arrangements, where people spent the night,” Mr Smith said. “They were very happy with the welcome they got, so I think the community really came together.”
Finally, Mr Smith highlighted the importance of good communication during the fire, including local alerts providing updates on the situation and firefighting response.
“They provide a lot of information about where the fires are, what’s happening, the response of the fire team, how many planes are up there and everything,” he said. “It’s really, really useful.”
“It’s under control at the moment,” Mr Smith said as firefighters continue to monitor the area. “It’s just staying on top of it now, controlling the smouldering.”
