Wildfire ravages 2,000 hectares of forest

The New York Times 10:14 - 23 October 2017

The fire, which erupted on Sunday in the north of the Mediterranean island, was still raging Monday, as scores of firefighters battled to put out the flames.

A wildfire tearing through the French island of Corsica has destroyed 2,000 hectares (nearly 5,000 acres) of forest, but no longer poses a threat to villages in the area, emergency services said Monday.

Rainfall, a sharp drop in temperature and a change in wind direction meant the fire no longer posed a threat to villages nearby, the local emergency service said.

A house and a sheep barn were damaged by the flames, it added.

Wildfires in Portugal left 44 people dead earlier this month.