A thousand firefighters were mobilized to fight a wildfire that had reached the outer edge of France’s second largest city, Marseille.
“The Marine Firefighters Battalion is launching guerrilla warfare, holding hoses,” the city’s mayor Benoît Payan said.
The county magistrate of Georges-François Leclerc in the Bouches-Du-Rhône region urged local residents to stay indoors and said firefighters were “defending” the city.
He said that although the situation is not static, it is “controlled.”
According to French media reports, at least 400 people have been evacuated from their homes. Nine firefighters are said to be injured.
About 20 buildings were hit by at least the fires, and firefighters saved hundreds of homes, Leclerc said.
At its peak, the fire spread at a rate of 1.2 kilometers (0.7 miles) per minute, according to French broadcaster BFMTV. This is due to a unique combination of wind gusts, dense vegetation and steep slopes.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who is a state-owned visit to the UK, expressed his support for firefighters and called on residents to comply with safety instructions.
“Our ideas have something to do with injuries and all residents,” he wrote on X.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau arrived in Marseille Tuesday night, where he met with local officials.
Marseille Provence Airport has partially reopened since noon. Airport president Julien Coffinier said he “never experienced a situation of this scale.”
Getty ImagesResidents are advised to stay inside, close blinds and doors, and to clear roads for emergency services.
The fire was said to have erupted earlier on Tuesday near Pennes-Mirabeau in northern Marseille and is said to have covered about 700 hectares (7 square kilometers).
Local authorities say the fire was caused by a car that caught fire on the highway and it may continue to spread as strong winds blow toward tonight.
“It’s very amazing – the end of the world,” Monique Baillard, a resident of the town, told Reuters news agency. She said many neighbors have left.
Payan asked residents to remain “extremely alert” and limit their movements.
Video released online shows a large amount of smoke above Marseille erupting in the hilly areas of its northern part.
According to BFMTV data, no rainfall has been recorded in the Bouches-Du-Rhône area since May 19.
Getty ImagesElsewhere in France, another wildfire that began on Monday near Naborn is still active, emitting 60 km/h winds (40mph). Local officials said about 2,000 hectares of land were burned.
Other parts of Europe, including Catalonia in northeastern Spain, were also reported, with more than 18,000 people being ordered to stay at home due to wildfires in the eastern province of Tarragon.
The emergency forces deployed overnight flames with 300 firefighters, which have spread over nearly 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) of land.
Several other parts of Spain – the hottest June on record – are highly alert to wildfires.
In Greece, about 41 wildfires broke out across the country on Monday. According to the fire department, 34 of them were included on Monday night, while seven were still active.
Much of Western and Southern Europe has been hit by hot early summer heat waves, triggering fires that evacuated thousands of people from their homes.
