Wildfire rages in southern France, forcing evacuations

A fast-moving wildfire was raging in southern France on Sunday, forcing evacuations as more than 200 firefighters raced to contain the blaze.

The fire broke out around 12:45 pm (1045 GMT) in the Lozere region, about 140 kilometres (85 miles) northwest of Montpellier.

Officials said it might have been sparked by a vehicle catching fire on a local road.

By late afternoon, the fire had burned some 90 hectares (220 acres) and continued to spread.

Around 220 firefighters from Lozere and neighbouring departments were deployed, backed by four Canadair water bombers and a Dash aircraft, with more reinforcements on the way.

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"The situation is not under control," local fire services said.

Two hamlets in the municipality of La Tieule, directly in the path of the flames, were evacuated at around 5:00 pm, affecting about 20 homes.

"This is an area with a great deal of woodland. It's extremely dry. The drought is unlike anything we've seen in a long time," said Marc Toulouse, a senior fire officer in Lozere.

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Local authorities urged residents not to call emergency services to report the blaze, warning that doing so could overload crews already fighting the fire.

A road between La Tieule and Le Recoux was also closed.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)