The forest fires in the Maures hills in the Var region have destroyed around 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) of forest, forcing thousands of residents and holidaymakers to flee their homes.

"The fire has not been contained as lots of embers are smoldering under the ashes but on the ground the situation is calm," said a forestry official from the region.

The official said that the number of firemen would be now scaled down, with 800 staying in place compared with some 1,300 mobilised earlier.

Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin saw the devastation caused by the fires for himself Saturday, touring the affected area for half an hour by helicopter.

"The scene is moon-like, the ecology has been reduced to nothing. I've hardly ever seen nature so devastated. There is hardly a green blade left in this dark and sombre space," he said afterwards.

Raffarin announced an aid package worth 500,000 euros (560,000 dollars) to help the region rebuild after the disaster and called on the French to step up their guard against all the risks caused by prolonged dry periods.

Meanwhile, tourists returned to the region's campsites, after leaving in a rush Thursday to avoid being engulfed by the flames. The thousands evacuated had to be put up in sports halls or other public facilities.

"Certain tourists left at once -- some because their holidays were coming to an end and others because their vehicles or their possessions fell prey to the flames," said the head of one local campsite.

Elsewhere in France, an area of 180 hectares of forest was devoured by fires in the eastern part of the Pyrenees mountains Saturday, while some fire-fighting forces on the island of Corsica received reinforcements from the mainland to cope with blazes.

The fires come after violent storms lashed through the western and southern part of the country earlier this week, killing five people, including two foreign tourists.

TERRA.WIRE