France deploys 200 firemen to tackle Herault Department wildfire

Some 200 firemen were dispatched in the southern French department of Herault to fight a wildfire that has erupted near the town of Montbazin, local media reported on Wednesday, Trend reports citing Sputnik.

"The [firemen] have to work in difficult conditions, considering [that fire broke out at] night, when vehicles move slower and air transport cannot be used, as well as the strong wind, but some 200 firefighters were mobilized to tackle the spread of fire", the local fire brigade was quoted as saying by the BFMTV broadcaster.

According to the report, four houses were burnt as the wildfire started out near the town of Montbazin on Tuesday evening and spread across nearly 30 hectares (74 acres).

On Tuesday, another massive wildfire in the southern Gard department of France caused some 170 people to evacuate and destroyed hundreds of hectares of forest.

Around 300 firefighters, 90 ground vehicles and seven planes have been dispatched to tackle the blaze. The smoke rising from the burning grounds could be seen 30 kilometers (19 miles) away.

France has been suffering severe drought and massive forest fires as a record-smashing heat covered over 50 French cities last Thursday.