ROME – About 1,000 tourists were evacuated on July 24 after a forest fire broke out in the southern Italian region of Puglia, firefighters said.

Three Canadair bombers and a helicopter were deployed to contain the fire in a wooded coastal area in the Gargano subregion.

“The fire is being fought from land and air,” a fire brigade spokesman told AFP, confirming that about 1,000 tourists had been evacuated.

According to reports, among those displaced are tourists from a complex near the Bay of San Felice.

Puglia attracts tourists from all over the world because of its clear waters, white sandy beaches and unique architecture.

The area affected by the fire is dominated by the Gargano National Park.

“The situation is critical,” the mayor of nearby Vieste, Mr Giuseppe Nobiletti, had earlier told reporters, according to the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

He was concerned that the wind would carry the flames towards the tourist complex.

After weeks of warm weather, fires are breaking out almost daily across Italy, especially in the south and on the islands.

Two firefighters died last week while battling a fire near Matera in Basilicata, a region bordering Puglia. AFP