Firefighters battle blaze in southern France

Firefighters battle a blaze in the Var region, the largest wildfire in southern France since the start of summer.

A blaze that raced through wooded hills in southern France, forcing hundreds from their homes and devouring an area twice the size of London's Heathrow airport, has been brought under control, firefighters said Wednesday."For the moment it's been contained in its perimeter, meaning it's not spreading much," regional fire chief said.

Nearly 1,000 firefighters and specialised water aircraft battled to contain the blaze in the region that lies along France's Mediterranean coast between the cities of Marseille and Nice. Fuelled by repeated heatwaves and drought, the 2026 wildfire season began earlier than usual, and firefighters have been battling near-daily outbreaks across France in recent weeks.