110 People Injured While Thousands More Ordered to Shelter in Place amid ‘Apocalyptic' Wildfire
The fire began near Pennes-Mirabeau, where one resident described the blaze as "apocalyptic"
More than 1,000 firefighters have been deployed to the area, where more than 400 people were evacuated and thousands of others were told to shelter in placeOver 100 people have been injured while thousands more have been told to shelter in place after a wildfire tore through a portion of southern France.
Officials said 110 people, including firefighters and police officers, have been slightly injured due to the blaze as of Tuesday, July 8, according to The Associated Press, BBC and The New York Times.
The fire began near Pennes-Mirabeau, north of Marseille, and spanned around 700 hectares (1,729 acres) of land, per AP and BBC. The blaze was reportedly sparked after a heat wave impacted various portions of Europe, leading to an elevated risk for wildfires.
"It's very striking — apocalyptic even," said Monique Baillard, a resident of Les Pennes-Mirabeau, per Reuters.
More than 1,000 firefighters were deployed to the coastal area, where hundreds of homes were evacuated as the fire moved through the region, according to AP and Sky News.
France's interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, said at least 30 firefighters as well as police officers were among the injured, as winds helped fuel the fire, the Times reported. He also said it was 'exceptional' that the fire did not cause any deaths.
Over 400 people were "ordered to evacuate" their homes due to the blaze, while another "14,000 were told to stay home," Retailleau said, per the outlet.
According to AP, the prefecture said in a statement on Tuesday that 'the situation is under control,' describing the blaze as 'particularly virulent.'
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The wildfire destroyed 10 houses by Wednesday morning, local state representative Georges-François Leclerc said, per the Times.
Flights were temporarily stopped at Marseille Provence airport, one of the busiest in the region, due to the wildfire, the BBC reported. The airport has since announced that flights will resume "without restrictions" on Wednesday, though disruptions are expected.
Additionally, Hospital Nord switched to generators 'due to micro power cuts,' according to AP and EuroNews. 'The aim is to secure the imaging sector,' said the University Hospitals of Marseille. 'We are not worried as we have a high level of autonomy.'
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