The French prime minister, Edouard Philippe, has travelled to areas struck by wildfires in France’s Cote d’Azur region. <br /><br />Large areas of Mediterranean forest have been destroyed as a result of intense fires over the past three days. <br /><br />He met with emergency teams as well as some of the twelve thousand people who have been evacuated.<br /><br />Speaking to reporters he said: “There is obviously a judicial investigation which has been initiated. Because as soon as there is a fire, all kinds of queries and questions are raised by the police department and there will be an investigation, well it’s already started, which I hope will enable us to know and identify the reasons for these fires.”<br /><br />Thick black smoke can be seen in the skies over the region and firefighting planes have been dropping water and fire retardant to help control the fires. <br /><br />In Bormes-Les-Mimosas, where the prime minister visited, many of the evacuated people were staying in a local sports centre while others have slept on beaches.<br />
