Forest fire rages near St Tropez
Pastor Dale Morgan
*Forest fire rages near St Tropez*
From correspondents in Saint Tropez
August 15, 2006 05:26am
Article from: Agence France-Presse
A LARGE forest fire broke out near the jet-setter's summer resort of
Saint Tropez today, reaching several millionaire's villas and causing
the evacuation of some 3,000 people, French authorities said.
The seat of the blaze was at Ramatuelle, just 5km from the chic French
Riviera seaside town.
The flames spread quickly due to a violent wind, rescue workers said.
A holiday camp housing one thousand people, and a campsite with 900
residents had to be evacuated, the local town hall reported. Two
neighbouring towns offered to host the holidaymakers.
A beach in the area popular with stars and wannabes was under a dark
cloud of smoke, visible down the coast some 100km away in Nice, local
authorities said.
Emergency services deployed nine water-bombing aircraft and 300 firemen
to deal with the fire, which appeared under control this evening after
having burned through a stretch of pine forest.
The fire caused enormous traffic jams throughout the popular tourist
region over a long weekend due to a French public holiday.