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Officials want more planes to fight wildfires in southeast France

By Andrew V. Pestano
A firefighting aircraft attempts to douse a forest fire in Carros near Nice, France, on Monday. Photo by Sebastien Nogier/EPA
A firefighting aircraft attempts to douse a forest fire in Carros near Nice, France, on Monday. Photo by Sebastien Nogier/EPA

July 25 (UPI) -- France has requested two additional aircraft from European Union neighbors to battle wildfires raging in the southeast part of the country.

There are 19 aircraft currently battling the flames in France and Corsica island, and French officials said it could use the help of two more Canadair water bombers.

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Unusually hot, dry and windy regional weather has worsened fire conditions, BBC News reported.

Nearly 12 square miles of land have burned so far along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea -- both in the mountains of France and on Corsica, where hundreds of people have been evacuated.

More than 2,000 firefighters have been sent to fight the wildfires, which are threatening multiple resorts.

In northern Corsica, firefighters worked overnight Monday to battle flames that destroyed a sawmill and several vehicles. That fire was doused Tuesday morning.

Stephane Bouillon, a French regional security official, described a fire in La Croix-Valmer, near luxury resort Saint-Tropez, as "extremely virulent and difficult to control."

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