Hundreds Evacuated after Wild Fires Roar Through French Riviera
Pastor Dale Morgan
Hundreds Evacuated after Wild Fires Roar Through French Riviera*
NICE, France, July 4 (AFP) Jul 04, 2007
Fires fanned by strong summer winds broke out Wednesday on the French
Riviera, prompting the evacuation of campers and cutting off a key
tourist route, rescuers and the authorities said.
A major fire broke out at an automobile yard near Antibes and spread
along the A8 national highway. Two hundred men and two helicopters were
deployed to fight the spreading flames and several people were taken out
of their homes.
Another fire in the southern Var region ravaged 150 hectares (370 acres)
of forest and sparked the evacuation of some 1,000 people from six
camping sites and nearby homes.
About 330 firefighters were pressed into action and a 30-kilometre
(19-mile) stretch of the A8 was cut off. A third fire also erupted in
Var and rapidly spread across 200 hectares.