Firefighters staged a desperate stand against forest fires raging in Italy by soaking trees and grasslands to create a fire break.

Huge flames had threatened to engulf the Sicilian capital, Palermo, on 25th May before firefighters dumped thousands of litres of water around the city.

Video footage of the battle shows tanker planes and helicopters bombing the ground with super-soaking red water.

Other videos show burned out buildings in fields of charred grasses and crops and flames and smoke in the hills above Palermo.

Firefighters worked through the night to bring the blazes under control, reports local media.

The fires were fueled by the strong winds and by a sudden heatwave.