Around 300 residents of a North Sea coast campsite were evacuated on Saturday after smoke from a massive nearby fire engulfed the holiday resort.

The blaze broke out at around 5 p.m. local time (1500 UTC) in a cornfield close to the campsite on Lake Kransburg, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of Hamburg.

Reports described how the fire quickly sent clouds of thick smoke through the air as it spread.

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Sixty-eight people were treated for smoke inhalation. Seven were taken to the hospital.

Police said in a statement that more than 200 emergency services crew were deployed from 12 nearby fire departments to tackle the blaze.

Around 1,800 residents were on the campsite when the fire broke out. Firefighters brought the blaze under control quickly enough to allow most of them to remain on site.

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Police said the blaze at one point threatened to spread to a nearby forest.

Police said they are investigating what caused the fire, adding that a technical defect in a combine harvester is believed to have triggered it.

mm/amp (AFP, dpa)

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