Wildfires rage in southern France as 3,000 tourists evacuated, regions on red alert & at least 12 including child hurt

WILDFIRES are tearing through southern France, sparking an evacuation of 3,000 people and leaving several regions on red alert.

At least 12 people including a child have been left injured amid the raging infernos following a record-breaking heatwave.

Nearly 3,000 tourists and locals have been moved after a wildfire broke out in the town of Sainte-Marie-la-Mer and spread to Canet-en-Roussillon on Thursday.

Half of those evacuated were staying at three campsites in the area.

Six firefighters were among 12 people who suffered minor injuries, according to local authorities in Pyrénées-Orientales.

Another six civilians, including a child, were left with minor wounds following the fires.

Four water- bombing helicopters were deployed to tackle the blazes while hundreds of firefighters were also scrambled in the region.

On Thursday, huge flames were seen engulfing yachts as terrified campers were evacuated from a seaside resort.

Shocking footage showed a huge fire tearing through a luxury yacht in Canet-en-Roussillon, near Perpignan.

Local mayor Stéphane Loda said: “The fire crossed the Têt River around 1.30pm, first hitting the Le Marina campsite before heading towards Le Brasilia, driven by the strong wind.

“We initially took the necessary steps to gather people from both campsites at the ᴀssembly points.

“Then, when we saw that the fire was going to cross the Têt, we decided on the evacuation, activated the municipal emergency plan, and activated the municipal civil defense reserve.”

“We had the time, and the luck, to evacuate both campsites as well as the entire technical area of ​​the port.”

One person reported hearing “around thirty explosions” as the blaze took hold.

Margaux Munoz told Ici that “The flames advanced very quickly”, with a huge amount of smoke engulfing the area.

The wildfires tore across southern France after the country baked under weeks of H๏τ weather, hitting record-breaking temperatures.

Aude and Hérault were the worst- hit regions, where fires tore through more than 2,200 acres of land.

Around 800 firefighters were deployed to tackle the flames.

Nearly 7,000 fires have broken out since the start of the summer season, French PM Sébastien Lecornu said.

More than thirty square miles of land have been completely torched by the blazes.

The PM described the situation as tense.

In Aude, water-bomber aircraft were deployed to try and bring the blazes under control.

But local official Alain Bucquet warned that temperatures are rising and the wind is growing stronger, fanning the flames.

Last year Aude was hit by France’s worst wildfire in decades.

Canet-en-Roussillon’s campsites, further south of Aude, did not report any casualties thanks to the mᴀss evacuations.