French army drills 'cause fire'

**French firefighters have been tackling a major wildfire sparked by a military exercise on the outskirts of Marseille.**The blaze threatened some 400 homes and forced the evacuation of a retirement home and centre for disabled people.

Officials say the fire is now “under control”, although some 500 firefighters remain at the scene.

A senior regional official said he was “furious” at the army and that trops should have taken more care while carrying out artillery practice.

“It’s completely unacceptable that the army keeps up these activities during this period as though there was no problem,” Michel Sappin told RTL radio.

Wildires are common in southern France in summer.