Conflict · Cotignac wildfire · ArchiefHistoric French Village Cotignac Devastated by Wildfire, Nearly 60 Homes DestroyedGeschreven 7 september 2026 om 21:22 UTCKijkenTranscript0:00A catastrophic wildfire has torn through0:02the historic medieval village of0:03Cotignac in southern France. Nearly 600:06homes have been destroyed. Hundreds of0:08residents were forced to flee overnight0:10as the blaze tore through the Var0:11department. Four people have been0:13injured, including two firefighters, and0:16more than 2,300 households are still0:18without power tonight. The fire ignited0:20near the town of Pontevès on Tuesday0:21afternoon and swept through five0:23communes before reaching Cotignac0:25overnight. The medieval village of0:26roughly 2,500 permanent residents,0:28swelling to nearly 10,000 in summer,0:30found itself in the path of a firestorm0:32that consumed more than 2,500 hectares0:34across the region. The blaze spread0:36rapidly through five communes in the Var0:38department. Cotignac, Pontevès, Correns,0:41Montfort-sur-Argens, and0:42Sillans-la-Cascade, pushed by intense0:44heat and drought conditions.0:46Temperatures across the region have0:47exceeded 40° C.0:49The human toll is still coming into0:51focus. Between 400 and 500 residents0:54were evacuated from the village. Local0:56authorities say power remains cut to the0:58vast majority of Cotignac as crews work1:00to contain the flames. Mayor Jean-Pierre1:02Véran described an agonizing night,1:04saying the village came close to total1:06destruction. The 16th-century Sanctuaire1:09Notre-Dame de Grâces and the Monastery1:11of Saint-Joseph-du-Bessillon,1:13both survived by the narrowest of1:15margins. The sanctuary and monastery,1:17both centuries-old landmarks perched on1:19hills around Cotignac, were spared when1:21the wind shifted at the last moment. The1:23narrow escape has brought a measure of1:25relief to a community reeling from1:26widespread loss. Among the most1:28harrowing stories to emerge, an elderly1:31woman trapped by flames while trying to1:32save her cats took refuge in a1:34neighbor's swimming pool. She survived.1:37Elsewhere, the Château Nestuby Wine1:39Domain was threatened by the advancing1:40fire, but amidst the devastation, the1:42community opened their homes to1:43displaced strangers, neighbors1:45sheltering neighbors. This fire is part1:47of what is now France's worst wildfire1:49season on record. More than 42,0001:52hectares have burned nationwide,1:54surpassing even the devastating 20221:56season. Authorities have arrested 1111:59people on suspicion of arson, noting2:00that nine out of 10 fires are2:02human-caused. The full extent of the2:04damage in Couthenans is still being2:06assessed. For a village that traces its2:08history back to medieval times, the2:10scars of this fire will last for years2:11to come.Lees het artikelTijdlijn van het verhaalHeyDexDe korte video ↗
