Firefighters continue to battle forest fires in southern France

The fire brigade in southern France continues to fight large-scale forest fires with a large contingent of officers.
The flames are not yet under control, and 7,000 hectares of land have already burned, the prefecture in Toulon announced on Wednesday morning.
More than 7,000 evacuated residents and tourists had to spend the night in 15 emergency shelters while 900 firefighters battle the flames. Work was under way to restore telephone and electricity supplies.
Meanwhile, one person died in the flames, according to the prefecture. According to the radio station France Bleu Provence, a man aged about 50 was discovered dead in his burnt-out house by a friend.
According to the prefecture, five firefighters have so far been slightly injured in the operation, and around 20 people have suffered from smoke inhalation.
The fires broke out on Monday after severe drought and heat. Despite all efforts to extinguish the fires, wind fanned the flames again and again, even with aeroplanes and helicopters joining the efforts.
Furthermore, more than 300 firefighters were fighting another fire near the wine village of Beaumes de Venise in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region, where 130 people, including tourists, were evacuated.
According to the prefecture in Avignon, six firefighters suffered heat stroke and two fire engines were burnt.