More than 110 injured after Marseille wildfire, minister says
Bruno Retailleau told reporters while visiting the affected area on Tuesday evening that the injuries were minor, but added the "fire is not yet fixed". No fatalities have been reported.
Fires broke out on a highway near the town of Les Pennes-Mirabeau, north of Marseille, and as of 6pm (UK time), had burned around 720 hectares and damaged around 20 buildings.
While officials said the fire was considered to be under control, it was still burning into Tuesday night, and hot and windy conditions are forecast to continue through the week.
Marseille mayor Benoit Payan said that "as we speak, it's a battle" to tackle the wildfire, likening it to "guerrilla warfare".
"We're waiting to see what happens overnight, because that's critical too," he said.
"Everything is strategic: wind speed, humidity, nightfall - every factor matters. Once again, it's extremely complex, and the work is incredibly difficult."
More than 1,000 firefighters were deployed to tackle the fire, and hundreds of homes were evacuated.
The blaze also caused Marseille Provence Airport - France's fourth busiest - to suspend flights and led the city's Hospital Nord to switch to generators "due to micro power cuts".
According to the regional air quality observatory AtmoSud, the concentration of certain particles was also "10 times higher than the regulatory daily threshold" due to the fire.
It comes as wildfires - which have become more destructive in the Mediterranean and southern European countries in recent years - were also raging in northeastern Spain.
Read more from Sky News:
Last week, wildfires broke out in southern Crete, forcing more than 1,500 people to evacuate, amid an early summer heatwave in Europe.
Over the weekend, more blazes were reported near Athens in Greece, on the west coast of Turkey, and in northeastern Syria.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Grand Canyon's North Rim closed due to nearby wildfire
The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is closed 'until further notice' as a wildfire rages in the area, park rangers announced on Thursday. Rangers also ordered an evacuation of people at the North Rim because of the White Sage Fire, which is burning on Bureau of Land Management land near Jacob Lake, Arizona, north of the park. An evacuation of the Jacob Lake area was also ordered, according to the Coconino County Sheriff's Office in Arizona. The fire, sparked by lightning on Wednesday, has already grown to 1,000 acres and is 0% contained, the BLM reported Thursday evening. The fire has closed U.S. Highway 89A in the area, which is a key route for the North Rim and northern Arizona in general. Another wildfire, dubbed the Dragon Bravo Fire, is currently burning within the North Rim. The lightning-caused fire has burned 120 acres since it was first reported on July 4 and remains 0% contained as of Thursday night. Like Utah, Arizona has experienced dry conditions that have heightened fire danger. Nearly 88% of Coconino County is listed as being in either moderate, severe or extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. It's unclear how long the North Rim closure will remain in place. The Grand Canyon has already drawn in more than 1.7 million visitors since the start of this year, and attracted nearly 5 million visitors last year.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
St. Johns County firefighters respond to house fire that was possibly caused by lightning strike
St. Johns County Fire Rescue is responding to a house fire that was possibly caused by a lightning strike. It happened Friday evening in the 100 block of Willow Island Point in the Silverleaf subdivision. It's off St. Johns Parkway and south of County Road 210. SJCFR found the home 'heavily involved' with fire with flames coming from the roof. Firefighters confirmed that everyone got out of the house safely before they arrived. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] SJCFR said, 'Preliminary reports suggest the fire may have been caused by a lightning strike.' People are asked to avoid the area as crews are still on scene. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sowbelly Fire quickly spreads to nearly 2,200 acres, forcing road closures in Mesa County
MESA COUNTY, Colo. (KREX) – A wildfire that started Thursday in the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area has now grown to 2,192 acres as of Friday morning, according to the Bureau of Land Management. The Sowbelly Fire, which is in Delta and Mesa counties, is currently burning in pinyon juniper fuels. Fire behavior was significant on Thursday because of high winds and hot temperatures, BLM said. The smoke plume is 'highly visible' from U.S. Highway 50 between Grand Junction and Olathe, according to BLM. Although local resources and smoke jumpers are responding to the fire, suppression has been challenging due to the difficulty of accessing the fire based on the terrain and location. Due to the fire, the BLM and the Mesa and Delta County Sheriff's Offices implemented road closures in Mesa, Montrose and Delta counties. In Mesa County, roads are closed at the intersection of ZS Road and 36 4/10 Road on the south side of the fire and intersection of YS Road and 31 55/100 Road on the southwest side of the blaze. In Delta County, Escalante Canyon Road is closed at the intersection of Escalante Canyon Road, and Escalante Canyon Rim Road. The community can access Escalante Rim Road to the south but may not proceed west past the closure point. 'Please adhere to road closures for your safety and to allow fire fighters access while working to contain this active wildfire,' MCSO said in a news release. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
