One of France's biggest wildfires this year has been stopped after more than 500 firefighters battled for two days to protect homes and lives, emergency services said Thursday. "The fire has been stopped, we hope to be completely on top of it overnight" Colonel Eric Felten of the Aude department's fire and rescue services told AFP late Thursday.

Firefighters on the Greek island of Evia were still battling Wednesday to contain a fire that has caused massive damage to a pristine mountain wildlife habitat after threatening four communities. "It's a huge ecological disaster in a unique, untouched pine forest," said acting regional governor Costas Bakoyannis. The area faced power outages and water cuts on Wednesday, residents said.

Thousands of residents and visitors on Hawaii's Maui-Island were ordered to evacuate two-communities as a spreading wildfire sent smoke billowing high into the sky, officials and local-media said. The 3,000 acre brush fire in Maui's central-valley was uncontrolled Thursday night, Maui Mayor Mike Victorino told a-news-conference. No injuries or damage to structures were reported, but some farm equipment burned, Hawaii News Now reported.