Fires whipped by high winds are ravaging several sites in southern France, including an industrial area near the city of Marseille where oil and petrochemicals are stocked.
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More than 1,500 firefighters tackled blazes which injured three people and four firefighters, some seriously, AFP reports.
“The goal of our forces is to completely control the fire so that it does not reach the towns, especially Marseille”, he added.
The Marseille airport rerouted incoming flights to make way for firefighting aircraft, while officials in Marseille, France’s second-largest city, were bracing for flames that risked lapping at its doors, and the airport warned flights risk delays or cancellations Thursday.
Deputy Mayor Julien Ruas said that firewalls had been set up on the corridor leading toward the city but that if the fire passed those, “it will move toward the northern neighborhoods of Marseille”.
The fire prompted the evacuations in the town of Vitrolles, located about 15 miles northwest of Marseilles.
Portugal urged its European partners on Wednesday to help in battling multiple blazes on the island, where flames have damaged houses and a hotel and forced almost 1,000 people to flee their homes.
“The drought of the last few months and the strong mistral winds worked like a powder keg”, Richard Mallie, head of the firefighting service said on France Bleu Provence radio.
The president of the Madeira region, Miguel Albuquerque, said the fire was still burning on several fronts but was “under control”.
As of Wednesday, officials said three firefighters had been injured battling the blaze – three of them seriously.
Some 1,800 firefighters including many drafted in from elsewhere in France joined the battle backed by around 500 rescue vehicles, five air tankers and two helicopters and around 100 police, Rampon said. Smoke and a burning smell were noticeable in Marseille, where a huge cloud formed in the afternoon.
According to the minister, 1,800 firefighters were mobilized to fight the blazes.
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Road and air transport were badly affected by the fire on Wednesday evening, with two motorways closed and some flights cancelled at Marseille airport.
