France fights spreading wildfires as heatwave fries Europe

Paris, July 18 (BNA): France scrambled more water-bombing planes and hundreds of other firefighters to battle the spreading forest fires fueled on Monday by hot winds from a severe heat wave that has scorched most of Europe.

With the winds changing, authorities in southwestern France announced plans to evacuate more towns and take 3,500 people out of the danger of finding themselves in the path of raging flames, the Associated Press reported.

The Interior Ministry said three additional water-throwing planes joined six others already making frequent cycles over the thick clouds of flames and smoke.

She added that more than 200 reinforcements have been added to the force of 1,500 firefighters who are fighting day and night to contain the fires in the dry pine forests of the Gironde region, sending burning embers into the air, further spreading the flames.

ZHB