Wild fires spread across Europe - military to blame in France (2nd time)

news.yahoo.com...

TERUEL, Spain (AFP) – Deadly summer wild fires spread across Spain, France, Italy and Greece on Friday with holidaymakers rescued from beaches and thousands of firefighters brought into the battle.

At least seven people are known to have died in the fires over three days. A Spanish fireman and a shepherd and a farmer on the Italian island of Sardinia were the latest fatalities.

Some 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) of forest and brush have been destroyed by six separate fires on Sardinia.

Five French firemen were injured battling three fires that have destroyed about 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) of forest and bush on the island of Corsica.

On the French mainland, the French army faced flak after tracer fire used in a military exercise sparked a wildfire on the outskirts of Marseille.
The blaze was contained by dawn Thursday, but this did little to calm local officials, who noted that it was the second time in as many years the army had started a wildfire.

Several fires broke out in Greece, mainly in the southern Peloponnese and on the island of Evia, destroying forests and farms.

With summer still having a month or so still to go and more sun forecast I hope the situation doesn't get to much worse.



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[edit on 25-7-2009 by DontTreadOnMe]