A vegetation fire broke out on Wednesday afternoon in Saint-Laurent-du-Var, threatening several residential properties before a large deployment of firefighters brought it rapidly under control.
Seventy-one firefighters with 34 vehicles responded to the blaze at around 12.30pm on Wednesday, July 1. They were able to extinguish the fire before it spread further into the surrounding residential area.
The incident comes as the Alpes-Maritimes remains under a combination of heatwave and drought alerts that have significantly raised the risk of wildfire across the department. Rainfall in April 2026 was 87 percent below normal, and 70 percent of monitored water tables across the department are currently below seasonal averages. Vegetation is exceptionally dry across the coastal and inland areas of the Alpes-Maritimes, creating conditions that allow fires to spread rapidly.
Prefectoral authorities have repeatedly urged residents to be vigilant, to avoid lighting fires outdoors and to report any signs of smoke immediately to emergency services. Wednesday's blaze is among several vegetation fires reported across the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region this week as temperatures remain well above seasonal norms.
Source: ICI Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Alpes-Maritimes prefecture