Firefighters battle blazes as Calais migrant camp cleared

Firefighters battled dozens of blazes in the northern French migrant camp nicknamed "the Jungle" Wednesday as the camp was cleared of its residents.

Huts that served as shops and restaurants on the main road leading to the camp in the port town of Calais were set alight overnight, possibly by migrants who did not want to leave and did not want authorities to raze the structures, the BBC reported.

Calais police commissioner Patrick Visser-Bourdon said four migrants were arrested in connection with the fires, Britain's Press Association reported.

More than 4,000 migrants have been taken to shelters throughout France since the operation to clear the camp began Monday. The BBC reported that the site was cleared of its last migrants Wednesday, citing French authorities.

The camp, which was home to people mainly from Afghanistan, Sudan and Eritrea, became a symbol of Europe's migrant and refugee crisis. Many there planned to cross the nearby English Channel to reach Britain by truck or ferry.