Watch: The plane blows flames as wildfires get furious near Marseille
About 110 people were slightly injured in a fast-moving wildfire that reached the outer edge of Marseille, France’s second largest city.
Home Minister Bruno Reciro said efforts to tackle the flames would continue “all overnight” as there were about 800 firefighters on the scene and the fire was not yet included.
“The Marine firefighter battalion has guerrilla warfare, hoses,” said earlier, referring to the Marseille fire rescue team.
At least 400 people have been evacuated from their homes, according to French media. Nine firefighters are said to have been injured.
The roads for emergency vehicles are clear as residents were warned to stay indoors and urged not to evacuate unless instructed.
According to French broadcaster BFMTV, the mayor said the fire spread at a speed of 1.2 km (0.7 miles) per minute at its peak. He condemned the combination of gusts of wind, dense vegetation and steep slopes.
According to the Interior Ministry, 110 people were slightly injured, including nine firefighters and 22 police officers on Tuesday evening.
France’s Emmanuel Macron, who is currently on a national visit to the UK, expressed his support for the fire service and urged residents to follow safety instructions.
“Our idea lies with the injured and all residents,” he wrote to X.
Home Minister Letailau arrived in Marseille on Tuesday evening, where he met local officials.
Marseille Provence Airport said it would partially reopen from local time (19:30 GMT) after being closed for hours from around Tuesday. “I’ve never experienced a situation of this size,” said airport president Julian Kofinier.
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Huge feathers of smoke rose above France’s second largest city
The fire that broke out on Tuesday near Penne Mirabeau north of Marseille was reportedly covered about 700 hectares (7 square kilometres).
Local authorities said the flames were caused by cars lit on the highway.
“It’s very impressive – even apocalyptic,” town resident Monique Baylord told Reuters. She said many of her neighbors had already left.
The footage showed a huge plume of smoke above Marseille as the fire intensified in the north hills.
According to BFMTV, the Bouches-Du-Rhône region has not recorded a drop of rain since May 19th.
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Police officer tries to put out a fire in a car near Marseille
Elsewhere in France, another wildfire that began near Narbonne on Monday remains active, fanned by winds of 60 km/h (40 mph). Local officials said about 2,000 hectares had been burned.
Wildfires have also been reported in other parts of Europe, including the Catalonian region in northeastern Spain. There, more than 18,000 people were ordered to stay at home on Tuesday due to a wildfire in eastern Tarragona.
The emergency unit is deployed with 300 firefighters, with overnight winds stoking the flames spreading over 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) of land.
Several other parts of Spain – which, on record, experienced the hottest June in June – had been on high alert about wildfires.
Around 41 wildfires occurred nationwide on Monday in Greece. Of those, 34 were included early, but the seven remained active until Monday evening, according to the fire service.
Many Western and southern Europe hit early summer heat waves, causing fires that evacuated thousands of people from their homes.
