A fast-moving wildfire sweeping through southern France forced the evacuation of at least 400 people after scorching around 1,700 hectares (4,200 acres) of forested land in the Var region, authorities said on Tuesday.
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Nearly 1,000 firefighters, supported by water-bombing aircraft and helicopters, battled the blaze as it spread through the wooded hills between Marseille and Nice, according to news agency AFP.
Simon Barbre, prefect for the region located between Marseille and Nice said that several of the evacuees were from Ponteves, starting-point of the fire, and the nearby village of Sillans-la-Cascade.
Evacuations took place around the villages of Cotignac, Montfort-sur-Argens and Correns. Barbre also said air crews were racing to lay down fire-retardant barriers ahead of the advancing flames.
Before aircraft were grounded for the night, firefighting crews carried out a massive aerial firefighting operation. More than 100 water and retardant drops using eight Canadair water bombers, four-water-dropping helicopters and two Dash aircraft were released to extinguish the fast-moving fire.
