According to reports three residents and four firefighters have been injured, some critically, in fires across the region.
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Transport by road and air was badly affected by the fire on Wednesday, with two motorways closed and some flights cancelled at Marseille airport.
“At this time only one active fire remains, in the town of Calheta” in the west of the island, while blazes have been contained in Funchal and the neighbouring town of Camara de Lobos, a civil protection official said Thursday.
In the Marseille area, some 500 people have fled their homes since Wednesday as flames fanned by strong winds consumed more than 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) of mainly scrubland and forest, and gutted several homes.
A wildfire that swept overnight into Funchal, the capital of Portugal’s Madeira Islands, killed three elderly people and left more than 300 people requiring medical treatment for smoke inhalation and minor burns, officials said.
Multiple fires whipped by high winds were ravaging sites in southern France on Wednesday, moving from village to village and creeping toward the Mediterranean port city of Marseille.
In Spain, authorities say five wildfires were burning out-of-control in the north-western region of Galicia, while 10 others were under control.
The initial cause of the fires in France, which started in Rognac, north of Vitrolles, is unknown.
Hundreds of children and adults were evacuated from recreation centers and homes in the town of Vitrolles, about 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) north of Marseille where some homes were burned down, and in nearby Pennes-Mirabeau. More than 1,000 had spent the night in gymnasiums.
Anyone flying to or from the airport in Marseille has been warned of delays or cancellations today, as air traffic controllers keep the skies clear for the firefighting aircraft.
Wildfires are raging in Portugal for the sixth day with an estimated 186 fires burning on the mainland.
The situation was under control on Thursday, but fires were still active, local authorities said. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
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