Turin fires: Flames engulf forests near Italian city as emergency services work through the night

Firefighter have been working 'continuously' for almost a week

Uncontrolled blazes fueled by weather, wind, and dry underbrush spread in the Val di Susa region, about 30 kilometres west of the Piedmont capital Turin (AP)

Raging wildfires in northern Italy have burned some 1,600 hectares despite the efforts of hundreds of firefighters over nearly two weeks.

Flames have ravaged the Val di Susa area in Piedmont and forced the mobilisation of squadrons of firefighting aircraft along with around 200 volunteers.

"My team has been working continuously since last Sunday," said Giovanni Valentino, a volunteer firefighter in Condove, near Turin.

He told the La Stampa newspaper: "It never ends. The fire has returned to the same point we cleared two days ago."

Foul play has not been ruled out, the paper said, but a lack of work to clear flammable debris like leaves and logs was reportedly partly to blame for the spread of the fires.

According to Reppublica, a group of at least 20 firefighters were trapped in an area of woodland near the village of Bergia, after a change in the wind turned the flames back on themselves.