lennart
18-07-03, 14:32
Forest fires rage in SE France
Fire crews in France are battling to contain huge fires raging in the hills and forests behind the Mediterranean coast in the south-east of the country.
Several thousand people have been evacuated from homes and campsites, where dozens of houses and vehicles have been destroyed.
One blaze has spread over 90 square kilometres in hills behind Saint-Raphael in the Var region.
It is the biggest in the area for more than a decade.
Another fire in the Verdon region further east covers 10 square kilometres.
Aircraft have been dropping water on the flames.
Storm aid
Meanwhile, French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy has announced emergency aid for victims of violent storms in south-west France earlier this week.
Speaking during a visit to the region, Mr Sarkozy announced the establishment of a loan fund totalling 650,000 euros to help people made homeless or suffering other major hardship.
He also said his ministry would foot the bill for cleaning up the worst-affected areas.
Four people died in the storms on Tuesday and Wednesday, three of them when they were struck by falling trees.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3077793.stm
Fire crews in France are battling to contain huge fires raging in the hills and forests behind the Mediterranean coast in the south-east of the country.
Several thousand people have been evacuated from homes and campsites, where dozens of houses and vehicles have been destroyed.
One blaze has spread over 90 square kilometres in hills behind Saint-Raphael in the Var region.
It is the biggest in the area for more than a decade.
Another fire in the Verdon region further east covers 10 square kilometres.
Aircraft have been dropping water on the flames.
Storm aid
Meanwhile, French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy has announced emergency aid for victims of violent storms in south-west France earlier this week.
Speaking during a visit to the region, Mr Sarkozy announced the establishment of a loan fund totalling 650,000 euros to help people made homeless or suffering other major hardship.
He also said his ministry would foot the bill for cleaning up the worst-affected areas.
Four people died in the storms on Tuesday and Wednesday, three of them when they were struck by falling trees.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3077793.stm