Firefighters combat blazes on French island of Corsica

PARIS – After ravaging northern Corsica, wildfires are now raging in the southern half of the French Mediterranean island, approaching the famous hikers’ route known as the GR20.

Parts of a fire around Palneca, a stop on the GR20, were inaccessible to firefighters on the rocky terrain, the newspaper Corse-Matin reported on Thursday, a day after fires started there and in Appietto.

The prefect of southern Corsica said that planes were brought in to dump water and retardant plus three helicopters to fight the blazes in Palneca and Appietto. Both locations are north of Ajaccio, the capital.

Authorities put out warnings about soaring temperatures expected in Corsica and the southern French mainland, a crucial ingredient for wildfires, which are also fanned by high winds.