(CNN) Parts of the French Riviera were evacuated late Tuesday and into Wednesday as forest fires burned swathes of land and threatened thousands of people, according to local police.

More than 10,000 residents and tourists were moved after a forest fire started near the coastal commune of Bormes-les-Mimosas, around 40 km (nearly 25 miles) from Toulon, one of the country's southernmost towns.

Beachgoers in La Croix-Valmer, near Saint-Tropez, watch as the fire spreads.

Sunbathers lounging on a beach near Saint-Tropez looked on as a wildfire raged nearby. Children played in the sand, while others snapped pictures on their phones, as flames engulfed pine trees and sent plumes of black smoke billowing overhead.

A combination of strong winds, high temperatures, and a lack of rain have fueled the fires, which took hold in the French Riviera and on the island of Corsica, off the southern French coast. Similar conditions have sparked blazes in Portugal and Italy.

Paul Adriaansens, a tourist visiting from Antwerp, said he was having lunch with his family on the beach in La Croix-Valmer on Wednesday when the wind changed. They rushed back to their rental house to beat the blaze.

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