Around 12,000 people have been forced to evacuate from tourism hotspots in south-western France due to the threat of a fast-moving wildfire, with Spain and Italy also struggling to contain their own outbreaks.
More than 500 firefighters have been deployed to tackle the blaze that is raging west of Bordeaux, with the majority of the displaced said to be tourists. Two emergency workers died on Tuesday when their truck was trapped in the path of the flames.
Local authorities reported that around 5,000 acres of land has already been destroyed by the fire and that the situation “remains unfavourable”. The local mayor, Martial Zaninetto, suggested that the blaze may have been sparked by industrial machinery.
Shorts
Captain Wilfried Schneider, a spokesperson for the firefighting service, said they are “dealing with a very dense stand of closely packed pines” and fires of “rare” intensity.
