A total of 70 firefighters, together with Civil Protection volunteers were tackling the fire on the ground and using three helicopters.

Naples mayor called the blaze an "environmental disaster, [which has] destroyed our land, a crime against life. Endless pain."

Fires had been burning in the Mount Vesuvius national park for several days, but the situation became more critical on Tuesday when two of the fires joined together and spread, due to dry weather and winds.

Smoke clouds rose over one kilometer high and were visible from Naples, Sorrento, and Pompeii, the ancient Roman site which was destroyed in an eruption of Vesuvius.

Several homes, hotels and restaurants were evacuated as a precaution - including one wedding party. Meanwhile, the smoke had travelled across the whole metropolitan area of Naples, with one local resident telling The Local: "Smoke has invaded the entire Vesuvius area. It is difficult to breathe, even in Naples city."

IN PICTURES: Fire rages at Italy's Mount Vesuvius

The fires are believed to have been started by arsonists, according to forestry police, and prosecutors have opened a file against unknown persons.

"It is sad that criminals have to destroy the land in which we live and it is painful to receive daily messages from people unable to sleep,'' said Marco Ricci, a priest of a town close to Ercolano.

Speaking to news agency Ansa, Ricci called on Italian president Sergio Mattarella to approve the use of the armed forces in tackling the fires. Late in June, the priest had helped organize a march in the area to protest illegal waste dumping and toxic fires close to Mount Vesuvius.

A post shared by 🇬🇧VinnyDL🇮🇹 (@vinnydl) on Jul 11, 2017 at 4:32pm PDT

Italy has seen a huge number of fires, particularly wildfires, following months of lower than average rainfall and high temperatures, and the situation is most serious in the south. On Friday, there were 441 'active incidents' including 288 wildfires across the country, firefighters said.

Dozens of animals were killed in one fire in Sicily which destroyed hundreds of hectares of farmland over the first weekend of July. </s> The flames continued to spread during the night. Photo: Marco/Meteorologo777

The mayor of Naples on Wednesday called for Italy to declare a national state of emergency as firefighters, continued to battle a huge blaze on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius, while almost 300 wildfires raged across the country as a whole.

A total of 70 firefighters, together with Civil Protection volunteers were tackling the fire on the ground and using three helicopters.

Naples mayor called the blaze an "environmental disaster, [which has] destroyed our land, a crime against life. Endless pain."

Fires had been burning in the Mount Vesuvius national park for several days, but the situation became more critical on Tuesday when two of the fires joined together and spread, due to dry weather and winds.

Smoke clouds rose over one kilometer high and were visible from Naples, Sorrento, and Pompeii, the ancient Roman site which was destroyed in an eruption of Vesuvius.

Several homes, hotels and restaurants were evacuated as a precaution - including one wedding party. Meanwhile, the smoke had travelled across the whole metropolitan area of Naples, with one local resident telling The Local: "Smoke has invaded the entire Vesuvius area. It is difficult to breathe, even in Naples city."

The fires are believed to have been started by arsonists, according to forestry police, and prosecutors have opened a file against unknown persons.

"It is sad that criminals have to destroy the land in which we live and it is painful to receive daily messages from people unable to sleep,'' said Marco Ricci, a priest of a town close to Ercolano.

Speaking to news agency Ansa, Ricci called on Italian president Sergio Mattarella to approve the use of the armed forces in tackling the fires. Late in June, the priest had helped organize a march in the area to protest illegal waste dumping and toxic fires close to Mount Vesuvius.

Italy has seen a huge number of fires, particularly wildfires, following months of lower than average rainfall and high temperatures, and the situation is most serious in the south. On Friday, there were 441 'active incidents' including 288 wildfires across the country, firefighters said.

Dozens of animals were killed in one fire in Sicily which destroyed hundreds of hectares of farmland over the first weekend of July.

But fires were also ravaging farmland in other parts of the country, with two serious incidents in Emilia Romagna on Monday. Rome's mayor, Virginia Raggi, said the number of forest fires in the municipality had almost quadrupled in the period since June 1st, compared to the same time last year. She said she had attended a meeting at Rome's prefecture on Monday "to discuss the measures to be taken to tackle this emergency". READ ALSO: Super-volcano under Naples shows signs of reawakening </s> Naples, July 13 - Italian army units have moved in to help fight huge arson-linked wildfires that have been raging on Mt Vesuvius for two days. Major Carlo Bianchi told ANSA "last night we blocked all the access roads to the National Park and we are patrolling the territory to flag new fires and stop any arsonists". The army moved in after a request from Environment Minister Gian Luca Galletti. Meanwhile three French fire-fighting headed to Italy "to help our Italian colleagues" battle wildfires across the south of the country, European Commission spokesman Alexander Winterstein said Thursday, saying they had been mobilised after the Italian civil protection department made an official request to the EU yesterday. </s> Rome, July 12 - Fire crews on Wednesday morning worked to contain vast wildfires that have raged since Tuesday on Mt Vesuvius, Naples, while more wildfires were reported across southern Italy. Carabinieri police, firefighters, regional officers and some 100 civil protection volunteers worked to contain the flames, along with three Canadair aircrafts and a helicopter, in the areas of Ottaviano, Trecase and Torre del Greco. One of the fires raging in the Naples area completely destroyed a local forest range precinct in Trecase, local officials said Wednesday. Regional protection authorities said a total of 927 fires have been reported between June 15 and July 10 this year in the Campania region around Naples, compared to 158 over the same period in 2016. Meanwhile in Sicily, wildfires that had been raging around Messina over the past three days were contained on Wednesday. Other wildfires were reported in Milazzo, Giardini and Gaggi and on the island of Lipari, where several hectares of land were burned by the flames. Local police are investigating whether the fires were caused by arsonists or by higher-than-average temperatures and dry terrain. Overall, firefighter crews as of Tuesday night had carried out 1,130 operations to contain wildfires across Italy, fire personnel said. Sicily registered the highest number of operations, 458, followed by the southern regions of Puglia with 241, Calabria with 226 and Campania with 221. The Lazio region around Rome recorded 214 such operations. </s> 600 people who were on holiday in the Sicilian town of Calampiso had to be rescued by boat after wildfires spread to the area.

Fishermen and boat owners were asked to help evacuating more than 600 tourists who were on holiday in the resort of Calampiso, in the San Vito Lo Capo village near Trapani.

The tourists have been momentarily relocated to a school and hotels in San Vito Lo Capo as they are unable go back to their rooms and apartments. Some have decided to cut their holiday short and return home.

Italian news agency Ansa has reported that no damage has been caused to structures and properties but the smell of smoke is still strong and the evacuated tourists won’t be able to return to the Calampiso resort until Saturday, 14 July. Authorities are currently assessing whether there is damage to the area’s electrical, hydraulic and communication systems.

Italian firefighters, along with the military, are involved in the huge operation of extinguishing the blaze.

The wildfires are currently engulfing a huge area of southern Italy, with the worst affected being near Mount Vesuvius, in the Campania region. Authorities believe the fires have been set intentionally and a man has been arrested.

A state of emergency has been declared in the Vesuvius area, with more fires detected in the regions of Sicily, Puglia, Sardinia and Calabria.

Around 900 firefighters have been deployed in 1,200 missions to extinguish and contain the wildfires.

The Vesuvius National Park is being patrolled and all access to the area has been blocked to contain the fires and look for arsonists.

Italian Environment Minister Gian Luca Galletti has announced the possibility of increasing the number of military authorities in the affected areas.

Temperatures in southern Italy have reached the 40 degrees celsius this summer, after a period of very little rainfall, leaving the nearby vegetation very dry and vulnerable to fires. </s> NICE/MARSEILLE, France (Reuters) - Firefighters battled wind-whipped infernos along the French Riviera coast on Tuesday as the flames torched vegetation on hills overlooking glitzy Mediterranean resorts thronged by summer holidaymakers.

Local authorities said several firefighters were injured and one hospitalized but there were no immediate reports of deaths, unlike with similar wildfires that have killed dozens elsewhere in southern Europe, notably Portugal.

One blaze that erupted late on Monday, near the Croix Valmer resort and the yacht-filled marinas of Saint-Tropez, sent clouds of thick smoke into azure skies within view of busy beaches.

Authorities said that blaze had engulfed 650 hectares of land in one of several spots where fires prompted closure of parts of the local road network, a rail line and at one stage part of the A51 motorway in the southeastern corner of France.

Weather forecasters said strong winds would persist for another day or two days at least, heightening the risk that even spots where firefighters were close to containing the flames could fall prey to another flare-up.

One of the blazes was thought to have been started by a bolt of lightning, but carelessly discarded cigarette butts are often blamed for setting tinderbox areas of the midsummer southern coast alight.

Another fire that scorched at least 800 hectares of land in the picturesque Vaucluse region further inland was believed to be under control on Tuesday morning, local firefighters said.

But a further blaze was meanwhile ripping through swathes of hillside on the island of Corsica that lies off the French coast in a corner of the Mediterranean near Italy.

Upwards of 1,400 hectares of forest and woodland had already been destroyed by fire by Monday night, when a small number of people in the village of Mirabeau and a dozen horses were evacuated to safety, authorities said. </s> The Latest on wildfires raging in Greece (all times local):

Officials in Poland say a Polish woman and her son drowned when their boat capsized during evacuation from wildfires in Greece.

Janusz Smigielski, deputy head of the Poznan-based Grecos office, said Tuesday that the two were vacationing in the resort of Mati, east of Athens. He said they drowned during the evacuation of 10 people by boat on Wednesday night, and that he was still waiting for Greek authorities to give details about the accident.

Smigielski said that a further 435 Grecos clients in the Athens region have been moved to hotels in safe areas.

Poland's Foreign Ministry has appealed to Poles in Greece to be very cautious.

Croatia has offered two Canadair aircraft to help Greece battle wildfires that have killed dozens of people near Athens.

Defense Minister Damir Krsticevic said Tuesday Croatia is preparing the planes so they are ready to go to Greece if needed there.

At least 50 people have been killed and more than 100 injured in the wildfires. Croatia has said that none of its citizens are among the victims.

Wildfires also are common in Croatia in dry and windy weather during hot summers along the Adriatic Sea coast.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is offering her country's help to fight the forest fires raging in Greece.

In a message of condolence sent to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday, Merkel said that "in these difficult hours Germany stands firmly by the side of our Greek friends."

She added: "You can be sure of our willingness to provide support in coping with the fire disaster."

Wildfires raging through seaside resorts near Athens have killed at least 50 people.

Italy is offering two Canadair aircraft to help Greece battle wildfires that have killed dozens of people near Athens.

Premier Giuseppe Conte on Tuesday tweeted Italy's support for Greece and condolences for those who have died. He announced Italy was making the two water-dropping aircraft available.

Italy routinely experiences summertime wildfires, particularly in the south. Late Monday firefighters in Sicily brought the latest one under control near Acireale, with the help of two Canadairs.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has declared three days of national mourning for the dozens killed in the wildfires that swept through seaside areas near Athens. Many people fled to beaches, with some swimming out to sea to escape the choking smoke.

Wildfires raged through seaside resorts near the Greek capital, torching homes, cars and forests and killing at least 50 people, authorities said Tuesday. Twenty-six of the dead were believed to be groups of families or friends who were found huddled together, some of them hugging.

Rescue crews were searching the charred remains of homes and cars in the deadliest of the fires, the one in the Rafina area northeast of Athens, and there were fears the death toll could rise. More than 170 people were treated in hospitals for injuries including burns.

The country's prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, declared three days of national mourning for those killed in the deadliest fire season to hit Greece in more than a decade.

With the flames whipped up by gale-force winds that frequently changed direction, many tourists and residents fled toward the coastline. Some swam out to sea, braving rough water and strong currents to escape the ferocious flames and choking smoke. A flotilla of boats, including some from the coast guard, evacuated more than 700 people by sea from threatened beaches overnight, authorities said.

"It happened very fast. The fire was in the distance, then sparks from the fire reached us. Then the fire was all around us," said resident Nikos Stavrinidis, who had gone with his wife to fix up his summer home for a visit by his daughter.

Stavrinidis, his wife and four friends swam out into the sea to escape the smoke, but they quickly became disoriented, losing sight of the shore and being swept out further by the wind and currents.

Two of the group didn't survive.

"It is terrible to see the person next to you drowning and not being able to help him," Stavrinidis said, his voice breaking. The remaining survivors were picked up by a fishing boat with an Egyptian crew who jumped into the water to rescue them.

Others never made it to the beach.

The head of Greece's Red Cross, Nikos Oikonomopoulos, told Skai television that a Red Cross rescue team found 26 bodies in a compound northeast of Athens, some of them clutching each other in groups of threes and fours.

"Everything happened in seconds," said Andreaas Passios, who lives next to the compound. "I grabbed a beach towel. It saved my life. I soaked it, grabbed my wife and we ran to the sea."

Passios said he and his wife stayed by the sea for two hours.

"It was unbelievable. Gas canisters were exploding. Burning pine cones were flying everywhere," he said.

When the flames died down, Spyros Hadjiandreou came searching for loved ones.

"My niece and cousin were staying here on holiday. I don't know if they made it out," he said. "I don't know if they are OK. I haven't heard from them."

The death toll stood at 50 by Tuesday morning, government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said.

By early afternoon, the Health Ministry's emergency operations said 71 adults continued to be hospitalized, 10 of them in serious condition. Twenty-three children were also being treated for injuries in hospitals, none of them in serious condition.

The two largest wildfires — one 30 kilometers (20 miles) northeast of Athens near Rafina, the other 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of the capital in Kineta — broke out Monday during hot, dry summer conditions. Fanned by gale-force winds, the flames spread rapidly into seaside towns, moving too fast for many who were in their cars or homes to flee, fire department spokeswoman Stavroula Malliri said.

"The police tried to direct us away from the fire, but we couldn't escape it," said Aleka Papariga, a former Greek Communist Party leader who lives near Rafina. "We got stuck in traffic and the flames were on top of us. We managed to find a small gap and we made it out."

Evangelos Bournous, the mayor of Rafina, blamed the winds.

"We were unlucky," he said. "The wind changed and it came at us with such force that it razed the coastal area in minutes."

Tzanakopoulos said 715 people were evacuated from beaches and the coastline by navy vessels, yachts and fishing boats. The coast guard said 19 people were rescued at sea, some of whom had swum out to escape the flames.

Rafina's dock became a makeshift hospital during the night as paramedics checked survivors, some clad in only their bathing suits, who emerged from coast guard vessels and private boats.

In all, 47 brush and forest fires broke out across Greece on Monday and early Tuesday, with most of them quickly extinguished, the fire department said. Ten were still burning late Tuesday morning, including blazes in Corinth, Crete and in central and northern Greece.

More than 400 firefighters and volunteer firefighters were battling the two fires near Athens, supported by seven water-dropping helicopters and three aircraft.

Greece sought international help through the European Union. Spain was sending two firefighting aircraft while Cyprus was sending in 60 firefighters. Israel and Turkey both also offered assistance.

Heavy rain was forecast across southern Greece on Wednesday, with hopes they could help in the firefighting effort.

Forest fires are common in Greece during the hot, dry summers, and temperatures recently reached up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

In 2007, more than 60 people were killed when huge fires swept across the southern Peloponnese region.

Becatoros reported from Athens. Associated Press writer Costas Kantouris in Thessaloniki contributed to this report. </s> A volcano on the Italian island of Stromboli erupted dramatically on Wednesday, reportedly killing a hiker, and sending tourists fleeing.

The volcano is known to be active, but on Wednesday there was a particularly powerful eruption.

Italian media reported that a hiker had been killed and their partner injued, but firefighters could not immediately confirm any casualties.

"It was like being in hell because of the rain of fire coming from the sky," Italian news agencies quoted local priest Giovanni Longo as saying.

He said it was not known if there were any hikers on the volcano at the time of the eruption, which caused fires around the village of Ginostra.

Italian media reported that some tourists had fled into the sea after the eruption, while others had barricaded themselves into homes.

Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) said, there were two huge explosions on the central-southern side of the volcano's crater at around 1446 GMT Wednesday.

The explosions were preceded by lava spills "from all the active mouths of the crater terrace," the INGV said, prompting a two-kilometre high plume of smoke.

A firefighting plane could not put out fires in the area because of the amount of smoke, Italian media reported.

The INGV said it was monitoring the situation.

Stromboli is part of the seven-island Eolian Archipelago just off Sicily in southern Italy. </s> Firefighters and police have been injured as they battled wildfires in the French Riviera and on the island of Corsica.

Eight firefighters and some 15 police officers were hurt in the fires which broke out on Monday and consumed nearly 9,880 acres of vegetation, according to French authorities.

The French civil security authority has asked the European Union for help and to provide two Canadair planes to contain and extinguish the wildfire.

Hundreds of firefighters are currently involved in tackling the blazes.

There have been no reports of injuries among residents or tourists.

Flames burned almost 2,000 acres around the Var area of Provence, with two villas destroyed seven miles west of Saint-Tropez. A huge fire in the neighbouring Luberon region is now under control.

The Var prefecture said about 100 people had been evacuated in Ramatuelle.

The largest blaze was in northern Corsica, with nearly 5,000 acres burned.

French interior minister Gerard Collomb tweeted that he would travel to Corsica on Tuesday evening to meet emergency services.

People look on at wildfires in France.
Wildfires devastate the Italian provinces of Messina, Naples, Enna and Rome. The Vesuvius National Park is reportedly completely destroyed by flames and ash. Italian police claim the fires are the work of arsonists.