Latest news with #MarseilleProvence
Sky News
09-07-2025
- Climate
- Sky News
More than 110 injured after Marseille wildfire, minister says
More than 110 people have been injured after wildfires broke out in Marseille, France's interior minister has said - as firefighters continue to tackle blazes. 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. Last week, , forcing more than 1,500 people to evacuate, amid an early summer heatwave in Europe.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
More than 110 injured after Marseille wildfire, minister says
More than 110 people have been injured after wildfires broke out in Marseille, France's interior minister has said - as firefighters continue to tackle blazes. 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.
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Rapidly spreading wildfire reaches edge of Marseille
A rapidly spreading wildfire has reached the outer edge of Marseille, France's second largest city. Earlier, Marseille Provence airport was closed for the remainder of Tuesday as the wildfire approached the city. Some residents have been advised to stay inside, close shutters and doors, and keep roads clear for emergency services. It comes as wildfires were also reported in other parts of Europe, including Spain's Catalonia region - weeks after the continent was hit by a deadly early summer heatwave.
France 24
08-07-2025
- Climate
- France 24
France's Marseille airport says closing due to nearby wildfire
The air hub's website showed several afternoon departures, including to Brussels, Munich and Naples, had been cancelled. The airport for France's second city sits in the town of Marignane just north of the city. A fire in the nearby town of Pennes-Mirabeau sent plumes of acrid smoke billowing over the city and its airport on Tuesday, leading to the runways closing shortly after midday and to at least 10 flights being cancelled, a spokesman for the Marseille Provence airport said. The mayor of Pennes-Mirabeau said two housing estates had been evacuated and firefighters had positioned themselves outside an old people's homes to fight off approaching flames. The Marseille Provence airport is the country's fourth after Charles-de-Gaulle and Orly outside Paris, and Nice. Several forest fires have raged in recent days in southern France, spreading rapidly due to wind and parched vegetation after a heatwave. Scientists say human-induced climate change is increasing the intensity, length and frequency of the extreme heat that causes some forest fires.
