Wildfire threatens Marseille as a thousand firefighters defend city
A wildfire sweeping through the French countryside toward the Mediterranean coastal city of Marseille threatens to destroy homes and disrupt electricity and gas services to tens of thousands of residents.
More than 1,000 firefighters and several water-dumping airplanes are trying to contain the blaze that is advancing from the northeast toward the city of nearly 900,000, local authorities said.
An evacuation order has been issued for several small villages northeast of Marseille, and authorities said several dozen people heeded the order on Thursday night. There have been no immediate reports of injuries or property damage.
The fire, which has burnt more than 3,000 hectares of forest and grassland, is among the most serious that firefighters have tried to contain in the area this summer. It is spreading at a time when much of the world is grappling with unprecedented heat waves that scientists say are being made more likely and more intense by climate change.
Firefighters have been fighting the fire day and night for four days now and have been able to slow its progress toward sensitive areas around Marseille, President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday in a tweet. A temporary blackout of electricity and gas service in some areas was carry out Thursday night out of precaution, according to regional electricity provider EDF.
Meta Description
A wildfire advancing toward Marseille has led to evacuations and poses a threat to homes and utilities. More than a thousand firefighters are working to contain the blaze, which has burnt more than 3,000 hectares of forest and grassland. Climate change is exacerbating heatwaves and wildfires around the world.
Keywords
- Wildfires
- Marseille
- Wildfire threat
- Evacuation order
- Climate change
- President Emmanuel Macron
- EDF
