Paris, July 28 (RHC)-- Forest fires in southern France have prompted firefighters to evacuate three campsites near the southern drought-hit region of Provence, affecting thousands of people.

Authorities say that some 10,000 tourists in that part of the European country were forced to flee potentially dangerous areas on Monday. Nearly 5,500 had to leave the Pin de la Legue site, while 3,000 were forced out of the Holiday Green site and a further 1,500 from the Pierre Verte site, all located in the southeast of the country, the local newspaper Var-Matin reported.

So far, blazes in the region have engulfed 40 vehicles, but no one has been reported hurt, authorities say. Over 200 firemen and 50 fire trucks were battling the flames 40 kilometers from Cannes.

Four water-bomber aircraft and two helicopters were deployed to fight a fire in a village near the Gorges du Verdon, a river canyon that is a major tourist attraction in the region.

Meanwhile, firefighters continued to battle fires around Bordeaux in the southwest of the country on Monday. Some 580 hectares of pine forest have burned in recent days. Extremely dry conditions and strong winds affecting the south of the country for days helped ignite the fires.