More than 3,000 tourists have been evacuated from a holiday hotspot in the south of France after a devastating wildfire ripped through homes and campsites overnight. Holidaymakers fled from four campsites close to the Spanish border as flames spread across 500 hectares of land. Around 650 firefighters battled the flames in the Pyrénées-Orientales region, which left 17 with minor injuries, the local prefecture announced. Sparked by “intense heat, dryness and tumultuous winds of up to 180km/h,” the fire broke out between Saint André and Argelès-sur-Mer. Michalak Guimbert, deputy mayor of Argeles-sur-Mer, said tourists had arrived in municipal halls “in swimsuits” because they were returning from the beach when the fire broke out. She said “flabbergasted children” were among those running from the flames. As the wildfires were brought under control by Tuesday morning, the extent of the devastation wrought by the flames was clear. Pictures show blackened and charred campsites, which were brimming with happy holidaymakers just hours before. As well as a campsite and warehouse, thirty houses have been damaged by the fire. “Our town is hard hit, and there is a lot of damage,” Saint-André’s mayor, Samuel Molly, told France Bleu. “The village is burned on both sides, a third has been hit by the fire.” Christelle, a resident who fled her home, told France Bleu Roussillon: “This fire is very impressive, it scares me. I hope I will find my whole house.” The fire is now under control, the French interior minister Gérald Darmanin said on Twitter. No residents or tourists were injured but Mr Darmanin asked that “the population and holidaymakers be extremely vigilant”. France’s minister of ecological transition, Christophe Béchu, visited Les Chênes Rouges campsite on Tuesday. He posted photos of charred trees, saying: “These striking images testify to the intensity of the fire. I am committed to supporting tourism stakeholders in the reconstruction and restoration of devastated natural areas.” “Drought and fire are two sides of the same coin: climate change,” Mr Bechu said. Most of the evacuees have been able to return to their accommodation or homes, but a few dozen tourists were still waiting to be rehoused, Mr Bechu told reporters in Saint-Andre. Some of those people lost their documents, money and cars in the blaze, he added. Wildfires have battered Europe this summer, with both locals and tourists being forced to flee from the deadly flames. Mr Bechu said that this summer has seen fewer fires in France than last year, when 70,000 hectares were burnt to cinders – but it was necessary to be "humble" as summer was not over. Five regions in the east of the country are currently on "high alert" for heatwaves, according to the French weather authority Meteo France website. Last week, firefighters evacuated more than 130 people as they fought to control a wildfire at Portbou on the Spanish border with France on the Mediterranean coast. The blaze ravaged around 435 hectares of land. Reuters contributed to this report Read More Maui fires live updates: Biden slammed over ‘no comment’ line as Hawaii death toll continues to climb France: Smoke clouds fill skies wildfire burns close to holiday hotspot Barack Obama’s message to people of Hawaii after deadly wildfires Brains of teenage smokers may be different than non-smokers, study suggests Rishi Sunak defends Bibby Stockholm plan after series of setbacks Australia has captured its continent as it faces England for a spot in the Women's World Cup final

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A Pennsylvania man who has been accused of hiding in an OnlyFans model's attic told a judge that she wanted his attention, according to court documents. Mauricio Guerrero, 19, appeared for a hearing on Friday in Stafford County Superior Court in Dover, Pennsylvania, according to WMUR. Mr Guerrero was charged with four counts of burglary for allegedly breaking into a woman's house, photographing her while she slept and hiding in her attic. Mr Guerrero met the woman on the website OnlyFans in 2021. The defendant told the judge that the woman wanted him to be "obsessed" with her, and to act like "a stalker." He said that "she liked it," ascribing his actions to their dynamic. During testimony on Thursday, the victim said she was often drunk when she chatted with Mr Guerrero on the website, and said she does not remember many of their conversations. Mr Guerrero recounted his version of their conversations. “We talked about meeting up, about me coming up. Between that we talked about having intercourse,” he said. Prosecutors claim that Mr Guerrero traveled to her home in New Hampshire six times, and noted the victim refused to see him several times. She admitted that on one visit they did spend time together and had sex. She told the court she continued communicating with him because she liked the way their conversations made him feel. Mr Guerrero's defence team claim he believed the two were in a relationship based on the pair's conversations. When they asked him how he got into the house, he said he entered through the house's back door, and admitted he "tried to use the crowbar." Mr Guerrero was arrested on 9 February after the victim called police to report that she heard someone in her home. "Officers on scene located a male suspect on the roof of the residence. After an on-scene investigation, the male was taken into custody for the charge of Burglary. The investigation was furthered, and information was obtained that the suspect was known to the victim from online social media," the Somersworth Police Department said in a statement posted to its Facebook page. Police said at the time that Mr Guerrero had been staying at an Airbnb in Portsmouth, and that he was in the home "with the intent to commit theft and invasion of privacy." Investigators found a video on his phone of the victim sleeping naked in her bed. Mr Guerrero admitted to recording the video, and the victim said she never gave him permission to film her, according to a detective's affidavit. Police said the victim initially agreed to meet with Mr Guerrero because he had offered to buy her a TV and a fireplace for her apartment. “She said he seemed nice at first and she gave him her address because he wanted to buy her a TV and fireplace for her apartment in Dover,” a police affidavit explains. “She never really wanted to meet him, but he was very pushy.” Read More Pennsylvania man charged with hiding in OnlyFans model’s attic and secretly filming her OnlyFans star Christina Ashten Gourkani dies of heart attack after ‘medical procedure’, aged 34 OnlyFans model files $6.3bn revenge porn lawsuit against ex-boyfriend after he posted graphic images following split

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