Three fires broke out almost simultaneously late on Thursday in the Maures hills, between the towns of La Garde-Freinet and Vibaudan, in uplands northwest of the resort town of Saint-Tropez, rescue services said.

They said two of the blazes had since merged into a single one, and other smaller fires had also broken out in the Maures region.

Firefighters were using two giant Russian water-dropping helicopters, and planes that spray retardant onto regions around the flames.

Some 25,000 hectares (60,000 acres) of land in the region were blackened by the fires in July, which came amid extreme hot weather across much of southern Europe.

French officials believe that many of the recent fires have been started deliberately.

TERRA.WIRE