Wildfire forces closure of France's Marseille airport

RTÉ News​

4 days ago

A wildfire that broke out near Marseille in southern France forced the closure of Marseille Provence airport, a spokesperson there said.
Planes have not been taking off or landing since around midday and some flights have been diverted to Nice, Nimes and other regional airports, the spokesperson added.
The fire that led to the temporary closure of the airport, which is located 27 kilometres northwest of Marseille, is being fanned by winds of up to 70 kilometres per hour.
The fire could be smelled in the centre of Marseille, a resident said, with smoke covering parts of the city.
A forest fire blazed in southern France, after it crept across an area the size of 2,000 rugby pitches of trees, causing an autoroute to Spain to close temporarily and residents to evacuate their homes.
The fire, one of several in the area in recent days, started on the property of a winery south of the city of Narbonne yesterday afternoon, then spread rapidly due to wind and parched vegetation after a heatwave.
More than 1,000 firefighters battled the flames overnight, but by the morning it had partially damaged 4,900 acres of land and was still going strong, local authorities said.
Local official Christian Pouget said six homes had been partially affected, adding that "the fire has still not been brought under control".
"The fire is spreading," the Marseille municipality said on social media site X.
"Avoid all outdoor activities and do not block emergency access routes. Follow instructions and alert messages."
In the village of Prat-de-Cest, trees were blackened or still on fire, while French weather service Meteo France said the risk of fires "remained high".
Authorities closed the A9 autoroute to Spain, but said they were progressively reopening the route to traffic.
Meteo France said this weekend that a heatwave that began on 19 June had officially ended on Friday, lasting in all 16 days - the same length as the country's deadly 2003 heatwave.
That same day, however, the first major fires of the season broke out in the south.
Scientists say human-induced climate change is increasing the intensity, length and frequency of the extreme heat that causes some forest fires.
Greece shuts Acropolis for part of day as heat soars, bans outdoor work
It comes as Greece shut the Acropolis for several hours, as the Mediterranean country endures its second major heatwave of the season, with temperatures set to soar as high as 41C.
Last week, large parts of western Europe sweltered in a severe heatwave that left eight dead and triggered forest fires and health alerts across the region.
With hot air and humidity worsening conditions, authorities ordered some businesses in Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city, and other areas on the mainland and southern Peloponnese peninsula, to limit outdoor work for employees in the afternoon.
Builders, food delivery riders, couriers and shipyard workers are among those having to pause work from midday until 5pm to avoid heat stress, the labour ministry said.
The heatwave conditions will continue until tomorrow, the Greek meteorological service said.
Authorities in the wider Athens and other areas will be on alert for wildfires as gale-force winds are expected.
Greece, which sits on Europe's southernmost edge, also had its warmest winter and summer last year on record, including a 16-day heatwave in July, the longest ever, according to scientists.