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2w ago

Arson Hypothesis Strengthens After Gros Bessillon Fire Reactivates

Prosecutors have opened multiple inquiries into separate starts, with rising heat and a forecast mistral increasing the risk of new flare-ups.

[Michel Gile / Biosphoto / Biosphoto via AFP]
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Un pompier lutte contre les flammes dans le Var, le 1er août 2026.
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Overview

  • The Gros Bessillon fire, which reactivated on July 31, has consumed about 6,350 hectares in total, including roughly 1,850 hectares since the reactivation.
  • The parquet of Draguignan says the hypothesis of deliberate ignition is 'seriously envisaged' and has opened probes into 24 separate fire starts in its jurisdiction.
  • Authorities have recorded six human‑linked starts in the Gros Bessillon sector since July 24 and a 23‑year‑old suspect was arrested on July 25 and placed in pre‑trial detention.
  • More than 1,000 firefighters remain deployed to secure lisières and hot spots, while cooler nights have calmed the Drôme blaze but two SDIS 26 firefighters were injured in a tanker rollover.
  • The government has mobilized EU civil‑protection reinforcements, announced emergency economic support for affected businesses, and warned that rising temperatures and the coming mistral could trigger new reactivations.