Thousands evacuated as French wildfires rage on

Flames engulf around 4,000 hectares of land in south of country and Corsica as hundreds of firefighters battle blazes

British holidaymakers and celebrities are among thousands caught up in chaos after wildfires tore through the French Riviera.

Hundreds of firefighters in the Riviera region of southern France and on the island of Corsica have battled against wind-whipped blazes that have left some of them injured.

Eight firefighters and police officers have been hurt.

However, there have been no reports of injuries among residents or tourists.

Firefighters said flames had engulfed some 4,000 hectares (9,880 acres) of land in southern France, where the population swells during summer because of popular tourist resorts.

This included a separate fire northern Corsica.

Flames burned around 800 hectares (almost 2,000 acres) around the Var area of Provence, with two villas destroyed a dozen kilometres (seven miles) west of Saint-Tropez. 15 in

A huge fire in the neighbouring Luberon region was under control on Tuesday.

French authorities said swathes of Var had been evacuated, involving the displacement of some 10,000 people – including 3,000 campers.

Tourists were seen camped out on beaches overnight – while the glare of the morning sun was darkened by rising smoke, images posted to social media showed.

The Var prefecture said about 100 people were evacuated in Ramatuelle.

The largest blaze was in northern Corsica, with nearly 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) burned.

Dame Joan Collins was one of many forced to flee the Riviera as the blaze grew ferocious on Tuesday night, tweeting it had been a “nightmare”.

Best-selling novelist Robert Harris was also forced to leave where he was staying near Bormes-les-Mimosas and posted updates of the evacuation, which began at around 2am yesterday. He commended the “brave” fire services.

The Sun’s travel editor, Lisa Minot, was at the scene and said relief efforts were being affected by “very strong” winds and that there had been “no news” from authorities.

Tourist Anna Tomlinson posted online that visitors had been “so, so, lucky” the fires did not “overwhelm” the campsite and local houses, adding the pompiers (firefighters) were “heroes”.

Four tracker planes and a firefighting aircraft had formed part of the emergency response after the intensity of the fire grew at around 11pm on Tuesday, a statement from the Var prefecture said.

French authorities were forced to turn to the European Union to request help as the fires continued.

The French civil security authority has asked the European Union for help and to provide two Canadair planes to contain and extinguish the wildfire.

French interior minister Gerard Collomb arrived on Tuesday evening in Corsica to meet emergency services.