Germany forest fire forces hundreds of evacuations

Berlin: Around 600 people had to be evacuated from their homes due to a forest fire near Berlin on Thursday, police said.

The fire, which covered around 300 hectares south of Potsdam, spread to within about 100 metres of three villages.

Residents were told to leave and only bring essential medication and papers with them, a local police spokesman said.

Several hundred firefighters were deployed to fight the flames which spread rapidly due to recent dry conditions.