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Marseille fire: more than 100 injured as blaze reaches city

Marseille fire: more than 100 injured as blaze reaches city

Times09-07-2025
More than 100 people have been injured in a wildfire which has rapidly burnt through 1,700 acres of land as it reaches the edge of Marseille, France's second largest city by population.
Several buildings were destroyed or damaged, while about 15,000 residents of Marseille's 16th district in the north of the city were told not to leave their homes.
About 400 residents who had been evacuated had yet to return to their homes by Wednesday morning.
Benoit Payan, the city's mayor, likened the scenes to 'guerrilla warfare' as he called on locals to 'exercise the utmost caution'.
Several incoming flights were diverted to other cities and some were cancelled. A motorway was closed and trains entering and leaving Marseille from the north and west were halted.
'I ask all Marseille residents to be extremely vigilant and limit their movements as much as possible to allow time for emergency services, particularly in the north of the city,' Payan wrote on X.
'The firefighter battalion is waging guerrilla warfare, hoses in hand. We have evacuated several dozen people.'
The sky above Marseille turned orange
FREDERIC MUNSCH/SHUTTERSTOCK
Firefighters worked through the night to contain the flames
FREDERIC MUNSCH/SHUTTERSTOCK
CLEMENT MAHOUDEAU/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
By Wednesday morning, Lionel Mathieu, the city's firefighting chief, said the 'fire is clearly receding, it is no longer advancing'. About 700 firefighters were still on duty, however, while helicopters helped colleagues on the ground, dumping water from the air.
Martine Vassal, head of the area council, warned the wildfire was 'not finished', telling broadcaster BFM: 'Weather conditions are worrying for us.'
Nine firefighters were among 110 injured by the blaze, which was being fanned by winds of up to 40mph.
The fire broke out at about 11am on Tuesday near the town of Les Pennes-Mirabeau, about eight miles north of Marseille city centre. Michel Amiel, the town's mayor, said: 'Things are far from under control.'
• Homes on the edge of towns 'will soon be at risk of wildfires'
He added that two housing developments had been evacuated as the flames were approaching, while a vulnerable nursing home was being protected by firefighters.
At about lunchtime, parts of the sky above Marseille turned orange and the air smelt of smoke. 'It's very striking, apocalyptic even,' said Monique Baillard, a resident of Les Pennes-Mirabeau.
Fire chiefs said: 'The department is facing a significant forest fire risk. Several forest fires are currently burning throughout the department.'
They said that six smaller fires had been contained or extinguished, adding: 'The weather conditions are extremely unfavourable, drought, very low humidity … the wind will not weaken before 11pm and will blow all night.'
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