Worst fires in almost two decades ravage hills around Marseille
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MARSEILLE - Forest fires raged through parts of France's Mediterranean coast on Thursday, with the worst in almost two decades burning around Marseille, injuring seven people and forcing authorities to evacuate thousands from their homes.
About 2,500 firefighters still battled the blazes that broke out on Wednesday, backed up by firefighting airplanes from France and neighbouring Italy, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told journalists.
A 50-year old man taking pictures of the fires in Vitrolles, 20 km northwest of Marseille, was being questioned by police, a source close to the investigation told Reuters, but the interior minister said it was too early to say if criminal intent was behind the fires.
