Firefighters managed to contain wildfires in southern France which threatened the city of Marseille.
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The fire, having been whipped up by strong winds, began to spread at around 3.30pm local time yesterday evening, and has since then spread over 5,600 acres of scrubland, grass and woodland, firefighters said.
Several wild fires broke out in various parts of southern France on Wednesday, causing a major firefighting operation in which four firemen were injured, three of them seriously, the interior ministry said in a statement.
The potentially most sensitive fire ravaged an area around Fos-Sur-Mer, which includes a vast industrial zone about 25 miles northwest of Marseille, but the prefecture of the Bouches-du-Rhone region said late Wednesday it was no longer gaining ground.
Jean-Claude Gaudin, the Mayor of Marseille, said in a Tweet: “The fire seems to be less intense than before, but is not yet under control”.
The origins of the French fires, which started in Rognac, north of Vitrolles, were unknown.
Thick ochre-colored smoke could be seen from Marseille. With winds still high, authorities said Thursday the danger was not over for some nearby French towns but the fires were under control.
Emergency services have been stretched by the fires raging amid fierce summer heat, with firefighters from the capital Lisbon having earlier been drafted in to fight deadly fires on the island of Madeira, some 800 kilometers (about 500 miles) southwest of the Portuguese mainland.
The fire badly affected transportation by road and air on Wednesday, with two motorways closed and some flights cancelled at Marseille airport.
Around 1,000 people were initially evacuated, including many foreign tourists, and 400 people spent a second night yesterday at an army barracks.
1500 firefighters are battling wildfires north of Marseille, which have forced more than 1000 people to flee their homes.
A hotel overlooking Funchal was destroyed and more than 150 homes were left uninhabitable, officials said.
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The firefighters were standing on top of the houses as they worked, he said.
