\u201cThe fire is receding, but with a blaze this severe, over this big an area, it\u2019s clear there may be fresh flare-ups, flames can jump, embers can reignite,\u201d the prefect of the Bouches-du-Rh\u00f4ne department, Georges-Fran\u00e7ois Leclerc, said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The Plage des Corbieres area of Marseille engulfed in smoke from the wildfire on Tuesday. Photograph: Clement Mahoudeau\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
The mayor of Marseille, Beno\u00eet Payan, said firefighters had the blaze \u201cclearly under control\u201d and residents of the northern 16th arrondissement were \u201cno longer under lockdown\u201d, but he urged people to \u201cexercise the utmost caution throughout the area\u201d.<\/p>\n
More than 700 firefighters and 220 emergency vehicles aided by helicopters and planes continued to battle the blaze, which has burned through 750 hectares of land and damaged more than 70 houses, including some inside the city.<\/p>\n
No serious injuries were reported, but about 40 people, including firefighters and police, were treated for smoke inhalation and minor injuries. Sixteen needed hospital treatment. More than 400 people were evacuated, including 70 residents of a retirement home in the suburb of Les Pennes-Mirabeau, where a car fire sparked the blaze.<\/p>\n
A satellite image provided by Meteo France shows smoke from the wildfire billowing out to sea. Photograph: AP<\/p>\n
Flights to and from Marseille airport, France\u2019s fourth-largest, which was closed from midday on Tuesday, have resumed, but authorities said they may be suspended again at short notice if the facilities were needed for firefighting aircraft.<\/p>\n
Train and bus services, many of which were cancelled, were also returning to normal and several motorways and main roads were reopened after being closed to reduce the risk to the public and allow free passage for emergency vehicles.<\/p>\n
Marseille\u2019s fire service chief, Lionel Mathieu, said the forecast was for the wind to pick up again later on Wednesday, \u201cbut more moderately than yesterday\u201d. A strong Mistral wind gusting up to 60mph (100km\/h) helped the fire spread rapidly on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The fire filled central Marseille with acrid smoke and flying cinders. Videos from the Old Port area showed large plumes of smoke billowing over the city and satellite images showed smoke clouds stretching about 100km out to sea.<\/p>\n
![\"Footage](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5427.jpg\")
Footage shows wildfire raging on the outskirts of Marseille \u2013\u00a0video <\/p>\n
Three southern departments have been placed on red fire alert, with many of the region\u2019s forests closed and barbecues and cigarettes banned near wooded areas.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s every reason to believe we\u2019re heading for a high-risk summer,\u201d France\u2019s interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, said. The Mediterranean is one of the regions most vulnerable to extreme heat driven by the climate crisis.<\/p>\n
France fire graphic<\/a><\/p>\n Two smaller wildfires in the Gard and H\u00e9rault departments had burned through 1,000 hectares by midday on Wednesday, local authorities said.<\/p>\n A major three-day blaze on the outskirts of Narbonne had destroyed nearly 2,000 hectares of forest, scrub and farmland and was \u201cstill active\u201d, the prefect of the Aude department said, with embers sporadically reigniting.<\/p>\n The national weather service has said the country\u2019s entire southern region is at \u201chigh\u201d or \u201cvery high\u201d risk for at least the next few days, with temperatures forecast to rise further. It described the situation around the Mediterranean as critical.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Sign up to This is Europe<\/p>\n The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans \u2013 from identity to economics to the environment<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n A firefighting aircraft dropping retardant over a wildfire near Narbonne on Tuesday. Photograph: Matthieu Rondel\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Gr\u00e9gory Allione, an MP and honorary president of the French firefighters association, told Le Monde<\/a> that the country had learned lessons from the disastrous summer of 2022<\/a>, when wildfires destroyed 70,000 hectares.<\/p>\n An advanced observation system using fixed cameras, drones and AI analysis ensures almost all fire starts \u2013 5,900 have been reported this year \u2013 are tackled within 15 minutes of detection, and most are contained before they spread beyond a hectare.<\/p>\n Many of France\u2019s ageing fleet of about 40 firefighting aircraft are 30 or even 40 years old, however, and replacements are not scheduled to arrive until 2028 or 2029.<\/p>\n A government spokesperson told French radio that spending on firefighting equipment, including new planes, would be ringfenced from budget cuts of \u20ac40bn (\u00a334.5bn) to be announced by the country\u2019s prime minister, Fran\u00e7ois Bayrou.<\/p>\n