The Interior Minister of France, Gerald Darmanin, tweeted on Monday that a massive fire broke out in the Var region of southern France, with unfavorable weather conditions, and 650 firefighters were involved in the extinguishing to "protect the inhabitants."
The minister stated that the prefect of the region located on the coast was on site, and Darmanin himself was closely following the unfolding events.
The local fire department also stated that about 300 local firefighters were deployed in the disaster area with the help of air fire brigades, urging the residents of the region not to overload the emergency lines.
According to local media reports, a fire broke out in the afternoon in the Gonfaron commune. Within a few hours, it managed to cover several hundred hectares. And according to the prefecture of the Var department cited in those reports, drought and wind contributed to the spread of the fire, despite the measures taken.
The country's media and civil security official account on Twitter shared videos of the fire, adding that several firefighter airplanes and helicopters were being used to fight the blaze.
In recent weeks, much of southern Europe has had exceptionally hot weather. Two wildfires raged out of control near Athens on Monday, forcing the evacuation of villages. They were fanned by strong winds.