"There's a lot of wind so we're focusing on trying to keep it from spreading," the government's regional official Gerard Gavory told AFP. Planes were dumping fire retardants on the area, and so far no homes or farms had been destroyed, Gavory said. "Despite repeated warnings by the authorities, stubble burnings that got out of control, along with the very strong winds, started the fires," Gavory said. Around 170 people were fighting blazes in northern Corsica Sunday afternoon, often on rocky terrain where fire trucks could not reach. Corsica was largely spared by forest fires last year, following a series of fierce blazes during an exceptionally dry 2017.

Source: The Local February 24, 2019 15:22 UTC