France wildfires: Thousands evacuated from Provence campsites

Firemen fighting blazes in Provence — Hundreds of fire-fighters were deployed to battle the blazes

Around 10,000 tourists have been evacuated from campsites in the French region of Provence after wildfires made worse by hot winds.

The tourists had to leave three sites in the Var area of Provence, in the south of France, on Monday.

At one site near the town of Frejus, 30 mobile homes were destroyed, AFP says.

President Francois Hollande had visited the area before the fires broke out to observe a fire-fighting exercise and warned of the need for "vigilance".

Officials said four water-bomber aircraft and two helicopters were also deployed to fight a fire in a village near the Gorges du Verdon river canyon.

Local officials said those evacuated would be housed in nearby sports centres.

"Those entrusted with knowing how fires break out have confirmed to us that it's carelessness, negligence, stupidity, that most often are to blame for outbreaks," Mr Hollande said.

"So we must simply appeal for people to behave sensibly," he went on.