Footage shows wildfire raging on the outskirts of Marseille
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Dozens hurt as wildfires bear down on Marseille: Mayor calls for lockdown after looting breaks out as inferno razes homes and cars as it races towards city centre
Hundreds of firefighters battled a fast-moving wildfire that reached the outskirts of Marseille on Tuesday, prompting the mayor to call for a temporary lockdown after 100 were left injured. Aided by firefighting helicopters and aircraft, the firefighters had the blaze under control by evening, officials said, but a forecast of more strong winds meant it might yet advance further towards France 's second most populous city. Some 110 people have been injured, as well as nine firefighters, BBC reports. The city's mayor Benoit Payan called for a small lockdown to make room for emergency services to tackle the blaze. Meanwhile, there have been reports of looting in evacuated properties in the Estaque neighbourhood in the north of Marseille, French media outlet Frontiere reports. The fire, fanned by winds of up to 43 mph, could be smelt in the centre of Marseille as thick clouds of smoke hovered over the city on the Mediterranean coast. 'It's very striking - apocalyptic even,' said Monique Baillard, a resident of Les Pennes-Mirabeau, the town north of Marseille where officials said the fire started on a highway, roaring across 860 acres by the afternoon. It sent plumes of acrid smoke billowing into the sky, causing the airport to close its runways shortly after midday and cancel at least 10 flights, a spokesman for the Marseille Provence airport said. The air hub's website showed departures - including to Brussels, Munich and Naples - had been called off. The fire has burnt through 1,730 acres and was considered to be under control even though it is still burning, regional prefect Georges-Francois Leclerc said. About 20 buildings have been at least partly hit by the fire but no fatalities have been reported and hundreds of homes have been saved by firefighters, he said. Over 700 firefighters were battling the blaze, aided by firefighting helicopters and aircraft. Live TV footage showed light smoke giving the sky over Marseille's old port a dusty aspect as water-dropping plane tried to extinguish the fire in the outskirts of the city with some 900,000 inhabitants. Wildfires, which have become more destructive in Mediterranean countries in recent years and attributed to climate change, were also raging in northeastern Spain, where large parts of the country were on high alert for fires. There were also fires last week on the Greek island of Crete and in Athens, as much of Europe sweltered in an early summer heatwave. As the fire was spreading, residents of Marseille received official alerts on their phones telling them to stay at home and put damp cloths on any openings. 'As we speak, it's a battle,' Payan said, likening tackling the wildfire to 'guerrilla warfare'. 'We're waiting to see what happens overnight, because that's critical too. Everything is strategic: wind speed, humidity, nightfall — every factor matters. Once again, it's extremely complex, and the work is incredibly difficult.' Two residents of the 16th borough, in the north of Marseille, near where the fire started, described how scared they had been. 'It was dangerous, a lot of very dark smoke, we were really afraid. Police and firefighters did a great job,' said one resident, who did not give his name and said things now looked under control in his neighbourhood. Residents were told not to evacuate unless ordered so that roads could be left clear for rescue services. 'At this stage, populations must remain confined,' the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur prefecture posted on X. 'Close shutters, doors, keep your property clear for emergency services, and do not travel on the roads.' Anne, a 51-year-old woman who works in Marseille and lives on the outskirts, said by phone: 'The sky is grey with ash, and the smell of fire is very strong in the centre of Marseille.' In the coastal neighbourhood of l'Estaque, restaurant owner Simon Epenmbia said he was huddling in the restaurant with his family and neighbours. 'We are relatively close to the sea, where we feel safer for now and there is less smoke,' he said. 'I also saw other people who came here towards the beach and are sheltering in their cars.' A spokesperson for Marseille airport, France's fourth-busiest, said planes had not been taking off or landing since around midday and some flights had been diverted to Nice, Nimes and other regional airports. It was unclear when it would reopen. Many train lines heading to and from Marseille were suspended. Some roads and highways were also shut. A wildfire that started near Narbonne, in southwestern France, was also still active on Monday. Some 2,000 hectares have burnt there, the local prefecture said. Scientists say human-induced climate change is increasing the intensity, length and frequency of the extreme heat that causes some forest fires.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Terrifying flood overtakes New Mexico town as residents urged to seek higher ground
A small town in New Mexico has been hit with a terrifying flash flood, with social media videos showing water gushing through previously tranquil streets and neighborhoods. A burn scar near Ruidoso, a town of about 7,000 people, has seen roughly an inch to three-and-a-half inches of rainfall, according to the National Weather Service. 'Additional rainfall amounts up to 0.1 inches are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is already occurring,' the NWS warned. Officials said the areas impacted include Upper Canyon, Brady Canyon, Perk Canyon, Cedar Creek, Eagle Creek and Rio Ruidoso drainages. All nearby reservoirs, bridges, culverts and roadways are at risk of getting slammed with fast-moving debris, including rock, mud, vegetation and other loose materials. Locals are being told to climb to higher elevation areas to avoid being swept away by rising water. The Ruidoso Community Center, the Eastern New Mexico University-Ruidoso campus and Angus Church of the Nazarene are all places residents can seek shelter as the floods continue. The flash flood warning had been set to expire at 5:15pm local time, but the NWS extended it to 7:15pm.
The Sun
7 hours ago
- The Sun
‘Apocalyptic' blazes force Marseilles airport to SHUT as residents evacuated & choking smoke billows over French region
"APOCALYPTIC" blazes have forced Marseilles International Airport to shut down as France braces to tackle raging wildfires. Plumes of acrid smoke billowed into the sky - causing the airport to close its runways shortly after midday and cancel dozens of flights. 9 9 9 9 The fire is said to have started in a vehicle in the area of Pennes-Mirabeau to the north of Marseilles. By the afternoon, it roared across 350 hectares (860 acres), according to French firefighters. The blaze, fanned by winds of up to 70 kilometres per hour, could be smelled in the centre of Marseilles, as thick clouds of smoke hovered over the city. Water-dropping planes tried to extinguish the fire on the outskirts of the city, which has some 900,000 inhabitants. "Its very striking - apocalyptic even," said Monique Baillard, a resident of Les Pennes-Mirabeau. A spokesperson for Marseilles airport, France's fourth-busiest, said planes had not been taking off or landing since around midday. They added that some flights had been diverted to Nice, Nimes and other regional airports. It was unclear when the airport would reopen. In response, emergency services have mobilised more than 720 firefighters and 230 water machines. Alongside that, four water bomber helicopters, one dash aircraft and four canadairs (specialist firefighting aircraft) have been deployed, according to Sky News. The wildfire also interrupted train traffic as the blaze spread rapidly to the edges of the southern French city. Devastating wildfires spread in Turkey leaving two dead and forcing thousands to evacuate as city's mayor pleads for help French railway operator SNCF said the circulation of trains between Marseilles and the Miramas-Aix high-speed TGV train station was stopped due to a fire nearing the tracks in L'Estaque, a picturesque neighbourhood in the city. The city's mayor warned that the fire continues to spread north of Marseilles. Benoit Payan said: "The fire that started this morning in Pennes-Mirabeau continues to spread north of Marseilles. "I went to the command post of the Marseilles Firefighters Battalion to monitor the operations." He repeated previous pleas to people to stay inside and adhere to official instructions. Earlier, Payan on X warned residents that the fire was now "at the doors of Marseilles", urging inhabitants in the north of the city to refrain from taking to the roads to make way for rescue services. 9 9 9 Meanwhile, the mayor of Pennes-Mirabeau said two housing estates had been evacuated and firefighters had positioned themselves outside an old people's home to fight off approaching flames. The fire near Marseilles is just the latest to have hit France in recent days. Several weeks of heat waves combined with strong winds have increased the risk of wildfires in southern France, with several breaking out over the past couple of days. To the west, near the city of Narbonne, more than 1,000 firefighters from around the country were seeking to contain another blaze. It had crept across 2,000 hectares (4,900 acres) of trees since starting on the property of a winery on Monday afternoon, they said. In the village of Prat-de-Cest on Tuesday morning, trees were blackened or still on fire. 9 9
