Campers evacuated as fire ravages French forests

At least 2,500 people have been evacuated in France, most of them tourists staying at four Cote d’Azur campsites, as a fire tore through nearby forests.

More than 1,300 firefighters raced to battle the blaze, which crackled through 14,800 acres and was the biggest of the summer so far.

It began yesterday in the Vidauban area, about 40 miles west of Toulon, before advancing over several thousand acres overnight.

The Operational Centre for Fire and Rescue said 2,500 people had been evacuated, most of them from four campsites.

It was the second time this week that campers in France have coped with disasters.

Five people were killed, three of them campers, when thunderstorms devastated parts of the south-west on Tuesday.