MARTIGUES, FRANCE - Almost 3,000 people were evacuated on Tuesday night , some by boat, from homes and camping sites near Marseille in southern France as forest fires tore through 1,000 hectares of vegetation.
Homes and eight campsites near Martigues, where the fire started, and Sausset-les-Pins were evacuated"as a preventative measure", the fire service said."It was an exceptional fire, unheard of: it was advancing at the speed of a tornado," said firefighter Jean-Eric Lepine, his eyes reddened by fatigue.
In hot, dry summer conditions, the fires broke out late on Tuesday afternoon, and spread quickly, fanned by the wind - up to 8km in two hours, firefighters said.
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