Thousands evacuated as wildfire rages near Saint-Tropez
LE LUC, FRANCE: Thousands of people, including tourists in campsites, have been evacuated to escape a wildfire raging near the plush tourist resort of SaintTropez in southern France, the fire service said Tuesday.
Around 750 firefighters and water-droppping aircraft were battling the blaze in difficult conditions, with high temperatures and strong winds.
“Thousands of people have been evacuated as a precautionary measure, but there are no victims,” a fire service spokeswoman, Delphine Vienco, said, adding that the blaze was “still very fierce”.
Southern France is the latest area around the Mediterranean basin to be hit by wildfires this summer, a seasonal phenomenon which climate scientists warn will become increasingly common because of man-made global warming.
Large fires have already ravaged parts of Greece, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Algeria and Morocco.
The blaze broke out Monday at a motorway stop about 100km northeast of the port city of Toulon.By Tuesday morning, it had already covered more than 3,500 hectares of forest and scrubland, according to the fire department.
Winds drive Dixie Fire towards Californian city
Gusty winds drove the largest wildfire in the US toward a Northern California county seat as firefighters struggled to contain the month-old blaze amid forecasts of more dangerous weather. Afternoon winds gusting to 48kph on Monday pushed the Dixie Fire within range of Susanville and prompted evacuation orders for Janesville.
In Israel, firefighters worked for a third day on Tuesday to contain a wildfire that has consumed a large swath of forest near Jerusalem and threatened several communities.