Three French volunteer firefighters die in blaze

Three volunteer firefighters died today while fighting a blaze that engulfed a barn in central France.

The firefighters were killed as a 33-foot wall collapsed on them outside a blazing barn in the town of Metz-le-Comte, said Jean-Francois Moniotte of the regional prefecture.

The fire in the barn, which stored hay bales, may have been aggravated by a dry spell that has hit much of the country.

The firefighters’ identities were not immediately released.