Sardinia wildfires force 900 to be evacuated as Greece and France send aid

The fires, which broke out over the weekend and have been spread by dry southerly winds, have consumed around 20,000 hectares of land

Animals have been killed and homes and businesses have been destroyed in Sardinia’s wildfires (AP)

Hundreds of people have been evacuated in central Sardinia where forest wildfires threatened some residential areas.

Some 900 people have been evacuated from the area, where smoke also engulfed some residential areas, firefighters said, but no deaths or injuries have so far been reported.

France and Greece sent have sent aid to the region in the form of aircraft. They are working alongside 10 Italian firefighting squads and five other aircraft.

The fires, which broke out over the weekend and have been spread by dry southerly winds, have consumed around 20,000 hectares (nearly 50,000 acres) in the province of Oristano.

Over the weekend, Italian firefighters attempted to quell a blaze near the town of Montiferro that displaced another 400 residents.

Of the recent evacuations, Alessandro Paola, deputy chief for Italian firefighters’ emergency department said that the situation “seems to be under control.”

Animals have been killed and homes and businesses have been destroyed, a native Sardinian said on Twitter.

Regional governor Christian Salinas said: “It is an unprecedented reality in Sardinia’s history,” regional governor Christian Salinas said. “So far, 20,000 hectares of forest that represent centuries of environmental history of our island have gone up in ashes.”

Additional reporting by AP