Paris – About 450 fire-fighters have contained a forest fire near the popular Mediterranean resort city of Nice in southern France, local authorities said on Tuesday.
Pictures posted by the local Alpes-Maritimes prefect showed billows of smoke rising from woodland not far from residential areas in Castagniers.
Local authorities said the area is just 15 kilometres north of Nice.
“Around 100 hectares of land went up in flames, thanks to the emergency services’ response, houses located near the blaze did not have to be evacuated,’’ broadcaster Franceinfo reported.
It said that streets blocked off as a result of the fire had now been re-opened.
Report said dry and hot conditions had increased the risk of forest fires in the region and on the nearby island of Corsica.
Earlier in the week, around 200 hectares of shrub land were burned in a blaze outside the city of Bonifacio near the island’s southern tip.