Hundreds of firefighters tackle wildfire in southern France

PARIS - France dispatched hundreds of firefighters to battle a wildfire that broke out in the Var region of southern France, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Monday.

Much of the Mediterranean region has faced bouts of extremely hot weather in recent weeks but southern France had hitherto escaped any big blazes. Darmanin said 650 firefighters had been deployed to protect residents in the area. Multiple water-bombing aircraft were also involved in the operation to contain the fire that has already burned several hundred hectares (acres), local authorities said.