PARIS (AP) – The Latest on wildfires in Europe (all times local):
9:30 a.m.
Croatian authorities say firefighters have battled throughout the night to contain raging wildfires that threatened a key port on the country’s Adriatic coast.
Parts of the coastal town of Split were enveloped in thick smoke Tuesday after flames reached suburban areas the previous evening. Residents have joined firefighters to defend the houses and stop the fire from spreading.
Emergency services say some 80 people have been lightly injured. They say the situation has improved in the morning after firefighting planes took off and the wind slowed down.
In neighboring Montenegro to the south, authorities say they might have to evacuate a village on the Lustica peninsula. About 100 people already have been evacuated the area as fires spread.
Montenegro has asked for international help to fight the wildfires.
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9:00 a.m.
Hundreds of firefighters are working to extinguish a forest fire about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the French Riviera city of Nice, as unusually hot and dry weather has hit much of France.
Jean-Gabriel Delacroy of the Alpes-Maritime regional administration said Tuesday that the fire near Nice is “under control” but not yet over after breaking out Monday night.
Speaking on broadcaster Francetvinfo, Delacroy said three firefighters were lightly injured in the blaze, which consumed 120 hectares (about 300 acres) of forest and reached the town of Castagniers, inland from Nice. No homes have been hurt so far, he said.
Whipped up by Mediterranean winds, fires in recent days have also hit Provence and Corsica during the high summer tourist season.
