In the south of France, thousands of holidaymakers have been evacuated due to severe fires. In and around the town of Argèles-sur-Mer a fire broke out yesterday morning in a number of places. Because of the strong gusts of wind up to 70 kilometers per hour, a number of campsites were evacuated.
Around 2500 tourists had to leave their tent or caravan and were received in a sports hall elsewhere in the city, among other places. No one has been injured, but some 45 hectares of forest and scrubland have gone up in flames. The fires are now under control.
The town of Argèles-sur-Mer is also called the camping capital of France. No more than 10,000 people live in the winter, but that number explodes in the summer when tourists increase the population to as many as 150,000.
