COTIGNAC (France) —A fast-moving wildfire erupted yesterday in southern France, forcing hundreds from their homes as nearly 1,000 firefighters and water-bombing aircraft battled to stop the blaze.

The fire swept through wooded hills in the Var region, burning 1,700 hectares in just a few hours and prompting the evacuation of nearly 400 people, the area’s top official said.

“The fire is moving down Gros Bessillon mountain at a very fast speed, which was not at all anticipated given the climatic conditions and weakening wind,” said Simon Barbre, prefect for the region located between Marseille and Nice.

He said evacuations took place around the villages of Cotignac, Montfort-sur-Argens and Correns. Many of those moved to safety came from Ponteves, where the fire started, and the nearby village of Sillans-la-Cascade.

More than 2,300 homes were without power, the prefecture said overnight Tuesday to Wednesday.

Very dry conditions in the area have caused an extreme forest-fire risk, according to the French weather service Meteo-France.

Barbre said air crews were racing to lay down fire-retardant barriers ahead of the advancing flames.

An AFP journalist near Cotignac saw a huge plume of grey smoke billowing behind a ridge engulfed in flames.

“This fire is the absolute priority of the whole area right now,” said Var fire chief Eric Grohin, adding that between 900 and 950 firefighters were deployed on the ground.