MARSEILLE, FRANCE (AFP) - At least 10,000 people were evacuated overnight after a new wildfire was sparked in southern France, which is already battling massive forest fires, authorities said Wednesday (July 26).

"The evacuations, at least 10,000, followed the progression of the fire. It's an area that doubles or triples its population in summer," said a fire service official of the blaze near Bormes-les-Mimosas.

France has asked for Europe's help in fighting wild fires, one of which is raging near the popular resort of Saint-Tropez.

Over 4,000 firefighters and troops backed by 19 water bombers have been mobilised to extinguish the flames.

At least seven firefighters have been injured and 15 police officers affected by smoke inhalation since the fires broke out on Monday, according to the authorities.

The blazes have devoured around 4,000ha of land along the Mediterranean coast, in the mountainous interior and on the island of Corsica - in the middle of the holiday season.

With strong winds and tinder dry conditions creating a dangerous mix, the government asked its European Union partners to send two extra firefighting planes - a request immediately fulfilled by Italy, according to the EU.

But one union official denounced what he said was a lack of spare parts preventing all the aircraft required from being put into action.

Interior Minister Gerard Collomb announced that France would be adding six more firefighting planes to its fleet during a visit to Corsica on Tuesday (July 25).

A fire in La Croix-Valmer near Saint-Tropez, a resort frequented by the rich and famous, had been contained, local fire chief Philippe Gambe de Vergnes said on Tuesday.

But the blaze had already gutted 400ha of coastal forest in an area dotted with homes, he said. More than 200 people had to be moved from the area.

La Croix-Valmer's deputy mayor Rene Carandante described a desolate landscape of blackened headlands fringed by charred umbrella pines, where green forest had once framed the azure waters of the Mediterranean.

"It's a disaster area. There's nothing left," he said.

Mr Francois Fouchier, of the local coastal conservation group, told AFP that local wildlife, such as the Hermann's tortoises, would be victims of the fires. "We are going to find burnt shells."

Around 80km inland, 300ha of pines and oaks went up in smoke near the village of Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume.

A local official accused the authorities of failing to regularly remove dry undergrowth, making the forest a fire hazard.

The French island of Corsica, situated midway between France and Italy, was also assessing the damage.

Scores of firefighters worked through the night to tamp down a wall of flames that had threatened homes in the north-eastern town of Biguglia.

A resident, whose house had at one point been in danger, spoke of "apocalyptic" scenes.

In the end, disaster was averted after the wind died down, but the blaze engulfed 1,800ha of forest and burnt several vehicles.

The Luberon, an area of hilltop villages and lavender fields in Provence, also fought fires on Monday.

About 100 homes around the village of Mirabeau and a neighbouring hamlet had to be evacuated, but by Tuesday, firefighters had managed to secure residential areas.

Further east, in Carros, north of Nice, a house, three vehicles and a warehouse went up in flames, according to regional authorities.

Speaking to France Info radio, Mayor Charles Scibetta described waking up to a "lunar landscape" and said the inhabitants had a lucky escape.

South-east France is experiencing an exceptionally hot, dry summer that has made it especially vulnerable to fires.

"All of France is mobilised," the head of the fire service in south-east France, Colonel Gregory Allione, told France Info, adding that extra firefighters had been drafted in from the north.

Mr Thomas Curt, a director at the Irsea institute for research into the environment and agriculture, said a fall-off in farming in south-east France since the 1970s had made it more prone to fires. "Farmland is contracting and the forest is naturally expanding, making the area bushier," he said.

A proliferation in the numbers of homes, roads and power lines near forests also increased the fire hazard, he added.

In mid-July, a blaze believed to have been ignited by a cigarette butt tossed out of a car ripped through 800ha of land near Aix-en-Provence.

Portugal, meanwhile, which last month suffered deadly forest fires, has been battling fresh blazes since Sunday in the centre of the country, forcing the evacuation of around 10 villages.