"We tried to limit the sparks but it was too intense," says a resident of the village of Grimaud, whose house was spared by France's worst wildfire, but his vehicles and chickens were not. The fire near Saint-Tropez has scorched some 5,000 hectares in a region known for its forests, vineyards and fauna since it broke out in the Plaine des Maures nature reserve on Monday evening. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES