Inland Var (Provence Verte) destination risk · reviewed 2 August 2026 at 03:59 UK time

Inland Var (Provence Verte) Wildfire Risk: Should I Travel?

A fire that had died down in the hills of inland Var flared up again on 31 July, and villages around Correns and Le Val are still shut off.

Short answer: If you are booked into a village or campsite in the Provence Verte triangle between Barjols, Cotignac, Correns and Le Val, contact your accommodation before you set off, because some properties are still evacuated and several approach roads are closed to anyone but emergency vehicles. The coastal Var, including Hyères, Saint-Tropez and Fréjus, has not been hit by this fire and beach holidays there are running normally. What does affect the whole department is that forests are being closed to the public day by day, so walking, cycling and vineyard trails inland may be off limits at short notice.

Open the relevant wildfire map Read France travel advice Campervan checks

Active fire risk now: Gros Bessillon fire, inland Var. Full incident page and official sources →

What is happening

A fire that started at Pontevès on 21 July and was declared contained on 28 July broke out again on 31 July, driven by mistral wind, and pushed into the hills west of Correns. Villages across the Provence Verte triangle were emptied over that weekend, and departmental roads between Correns, Montfort-sur-Argens, Carcès and Le Val were closed or reserved for emergency vehicles. The coastal Var was not touched by this fire.

What it means if you are travelling

If your booking is inland, between Barjols, Cotignac, Correns and Le Val, ring the property before you drive: access is being managed village by village and hamlet by hamlet, not by commune. If your booking is on the coast, from Hyères round to Fréjus, this fire is not near you. The department-wide problem for everyone is forest access, which is decided fresh each evening for the following day.

What is still disrupted in Inland Var (Provence Verte)

Checked against Préfecture du Var on 2026-08-02. Conditions change daily during and after a fire, and the source below is the authority.

Still closed: Correns still cut off. The village was reported still isolated on 2 August, with residents unable to leave. Evacuation measures were also reported as still in force for some homes at Barjols and Châteauvert. (as of 2026-08-02)
Reopened: Montfort-sur-Argens residents allowed home. The préfecture authorised residents of Montfort-sur-Argens to return on the evening of 1 August. (as of 2026-08-01)
Still closed: A campsite near Correns was evacuated. Reports of at least one campsite evacuated by FR-Alert alongside residential neighbourhoods on 31 July. No confirmed reopening. Contact your site directly. (as of 2026-08-01)
Still closed: RD45 between Châteauvert and Correns. Reported closed on 2 August. (as of 2026-08-02)
Still closed: RD22 between the RD13 and Montfort-sur-Argens. Reported open to emergency vehicles only on 2 August. (as of 2026-08-02)
Partly open: RD13 between Cotignac and the RD560. Cut at the Les 4 Chemins junction on 1 August; partial reopening reported on 2 August. (as of 2026-08-02)
Still closed: RD562 between Carcès and Le Val. Reported closed on 2 August. (as of 2026-08-02)
Partly open: Motorway service areas on the A8 and A57. Several rest areas closed as a precaution. The motorways themselves were not reported closed by this fire. (as of 2026-08-01)
Still closed: Forest massifs closed to the public. All Var massifs were shut on Saturday 1 August. Eight remained closed on Sunday 2 August at very severe risk, including the Maures, Corniche des Maures, Estérel, Sainte-Baume, Haut-Var, Monts Toulonnais and the Îles d'Hyères. The préfecture reissues the map each evening for the following day. (as of 2026-08-02)

Préfecture du Var →

Free destination checks

Your accommodation

Ring the campsite, gîte or hotel directly and ask whether they are currently open and reachable. Evacuation orders here are village by village, not town-wide.

Forest access for the day

The Var préfecture publishes a map each evening showing which forest massifs are open, restricted or shut the next day. Eight were closed to the public on Sunday 2 August, including the Maures, the Estérel and the Sainte-Baume.

Local roads

Several departmental roads around Correns, Châteauvert, Montfort-sur-Argens and Carcès were closed or emergency-only on 2 August. Check before relying on a satnav route across the hills.

FR-Alert on your phone

Evacuations here were ordered by FR-Alert text. Foreign mobiles do receive it, so keep your phone on and charged if you are staying inland.

Nearby alternatives to compare

Coastal Var and the Gulf of Saint-Tropez,Beaches, ports and seafront towns are away from the fire and operating normally, though inland walking trails behind them may be closed on high-risk days.
Aix-en-Provence,Close enough to keep the same holiday, far enough from the fire zone, and a town-based trip does not depend on forest access being open.
The Luberon, Vaucluse,The same hilltop-village and vineyard Provence, in a neighbouring department that has not been affected by this fire.

Live incident in progress

Inland Var (Provence Verte) has an active fire event. The summary above is the current picture; the linked incident page and official sources carry the live detail, and conditions can change faster than this page. Always follow local authorities.

Sources used for this page

Europe Fire Map is travel decision support, not an emergency service or an official incident feed. Conditions can change faster than this page. Follow local authorities, accommodation providers and emergency services first. In danger anywhere in the EU, call 112.