Forest fire in the Var: one firefighter injured

FIRE. A firefighter from the Luc-en-Provence fire station was injured during the night between Saturday and Sunday whilst fighting the forest fire that destroyed 440 hectares of vegetation between Hyères and La Londe-des-Maures, in the Var. He fell whilst on the ground with a water tanker (CCF) from a forest fire response unit (GIFF) and has suffered a broken ankle and a dislocated shoulder. He has been admitted to hospital in Hyères. The fire, which broke out at around 10 pm yesterday in Hyères, spread rapidly due to strong mistral winds. 400 firefighters from the Var and other departments in the south of France, who had been called in as reinforcements, fought the blaze all night until the arrival of water-bombing aircraft this morning, which managed to halt the advance of the fire front. A campsite was evacuated during the night.