Wildfires continue to rage across southern Europe, challenging local officials in Spain, France, Greece, and on the Italian island of Sardina, resulting in 7 deaths so far, according to the BBC. The fires have been exacerbated by strong wind and high summer temperatures. According to the BBC report, a Sardina prison was even forced to be evacuated due to propinquity of the flames.
According to the AFP, the fire may have been man-made, spurred from the French army's use of illegal tracer rounds during a military training exercise:
"This fire was clearly triggered by a professional mistake," Prime Minister Francois Fillon said late Thursday after the blaze ripped through 1,300 hectares (3,211 acres) of brush and damaged homes near France's second city.
"Tracer rounds are outlawed, not only during this period but in principle in all the camps in the south," a region more prone to forest fires, the prime minister said, announcing that a probe was underway.
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