FRENCH authorities gave the go-ahead today for 84,000 evacuees forced out by a monster wildfire to go back to their homes in south-west France.

The move is the strongest sign yet that firefighters are turning a corner in their battle against the flames that have burnt an area four times the size of Paris.

The authorised returns announced today covered nine localities that had been evacuated. In all, more than 220,000 people have been forced to flee their homes since last week.

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