Around 12,000 people evacuated in France fires

Around 12,000 people have been evacuated from the south-west of France as the country battles ongoing wildfires days after two firefighters died near Bordeaux airport, French media reported.The Gironde region government said more than 2,000 hectares (4,000 acres) of land have been destroyed. The use of internal combustion and electric engines have been banned in predominantly forested areas, and a number of roads have been closed. No injuries have been reported on Thursday.Meanwhile in Italy, authorities have paid tribute to a firefighter who died tackling a wildfire in San Cataldo, as Sicily President Renato Schifani wished a "speedy recovery" to another involved in the same operation.Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi paid tribute to late firefighter Alessandro Marchi who he said died "in service to the community"."He will not be forgotten," he said in a post on X.In an update on Wednesday, head of the Sicilian Civil Protection Salvo Cocina said there had been more than 350 fires on the island including ten major ones which led to precautionary evacuations.He said the fires had human causes - adding that firefighting has become a social and public order problem.