A wildfire in France’s Provence region continued spreading on Saturday as overnight efforts successfully stopped the blazes from reaching the nearby towns of Correns and Montfort-sur-Argens.
Some 1,300 firefighters have been deployed to tackle the blaze, which has flared up again in the Gros Bessillon area, burning approximately 1,250 more hectares since Friday. By the end of the week, authorities said a total of 4,500 hectares had been burnt.
Despite the difficulties, 2,500 people were still unable to return home.
Meanwhile, authorities say France’s largest wildfire in 70 years has been brought under control near the southwestern city of Bordeaux.
The Gironde fire has burned 420 square kilometres of pine forest west of the city, an area four times the size of Paris.
Firefighters said it remained contained within that perimeter Saturday, meaning flames had not broken beyond its existing boundaries. But it had not been declared “fixed” — the point at which crews determine that a fire is no longer advancing — and active sectors and buried hot spots persisted.
Twenty French departments were under an orange heat warning Saturday, mostly in the east and southeast. Temperatures of 35 to 39 degree celsius were forecast around the Mediterranean, while eight departments faced a high forest-fire risk.
Residents evacuated in Greece
In Greece, hundreds of firefighters on Saturday were battling to save a popular coastal resort northwest of Athens as violent winds lashed the country, hampering operations.
More than 400 firefighters, backed by several dozen specialised aircraft, were battling blazes in the area of Porto Germeno, the country’s fire department said.
According to meteo.gr, the weather service of the National Observatory of Athens, winds up to 130 kilometres per hour were recorded Saturday.
The fire broke out Friday near the neighbouring coastal village of Agios Vasileios. Residents initially ignored a civil protection call to evacuate, and some 300 people had to be rescued by sea.
Wildfires have flared in several parts of the country this week, including on the popular island of Crete, and three firefighters have so far lost their lives.
Video editor • Rory Elliott Armstrong