Italy fires

At least five people have been injured and holidaymakers evacuated after wildfires devastated a pinewood near a beach in Pescara, Italy, as one of the worst heatwaves in decades, swept across south-east Europe.

About 800 people were evacuated from their homes, including a convent of nuns, after a fire broke out in the 53-hectare (131-acre) Pineta Dannunziana nature reserve, as the fires continue to be active on different fronts.

More than 800 flare-ups were recorded this weekend, mainly in the south, Italy’s national fire service said.

“In the last 24 hours, firefighters have carried out more than 800 interventions: 250 in Sicily, 130 in Puglia and Calabria, 90 in Lazio, and 70 in Campania,” the service tweeted.

More than 200 people were taken to safety from the seaside around Catania in Sicily.

Fires are also burning in Greece and Spain.

Agencies.