At least five people have been wounded and holidaymakers evacuated after wildfires devastated a pine wood near a beach in Pescara, Italy, as one of the worst heatwaves in decades swept across south-east Europe.

About 800 people were evacuated from their homes, including a convent of nuns, after a fire broke out in the 53-hectare Pineta Dannunziana nature reserve, as the fires continue to be active on different fronts.

More than 800 flare-ups were recorded, mainly in the south, Italy’s national fire service said.