Corsica wildfire ravages 2,000 hectares of forest

A wildfire tearing through the French island of Corsica has destroyed 2,000 hectares (nearly 5,000 acres) of forest, but no longer poses a threat to villages in the area, emergency services said today.

The fire, which erupted on Sunday in the north of the Mediterranean island, was still raging Monday, as scores of firefighters battled to put out the flames.

Rainfall, a sharp drop in temperature and a change in wind direction meant the fire no longer posed a threat to villages nearby, the local emergency service said.

A house and a sheep barn were damaged by the flames, it added.

Wildfires in Portugal left 44 people dead earlier this month.