After almost 24 hours, firefighters say they are winning the battle against wildfires raging in southern France. However, both on the ground and in the air, there is still work to be done. The drama started yesterday afternoon. Winds of up to 70 kilometres per hour fanned flames in the Bouche-du-Rhone region around the southern port of Marseille. Some 2,000 people were forced to flee their houses as 2,500 hectares of forest went up in smoke. By midday today, hundreds of those evacuated were able to return home. But 1,600 firefighters and five firefighting aircraft were still on duty. **PHOTO CAPTION*** A fire-fighting plane pours water on a blaze near Velaux, southern France, July 25, 2004. (REUTERS)