At least two wild fires aided by strong winds and dry conditions has spread over 3,300 hectares of land, gutted buildings and destroyed homes in the nearby towns of Vitrolles and Pennes-Mirabeau.
Advertisement
Local residents have left their homes and taken refuge in sports centres, and some 1,500 firefighters have been fighting the flames.
“The fire is extremely powerful, fast, explosive, and continues burning everything in its path”, a statement from emergency services in Vitrolles said.
Christopher Curtis, who lives in the affected area, told the paper that “all in all it’s unbelievable that this was not a lot worse”.
Transport by road and air was badly affected by the fire on Wednesday, with two motorways closed and some flights cancelled at Marseille airport.
Officials said that windy conditions meant towns in the area remained in danger.
The Portuguese holiday island of Madeira was also counting the cost after fires killed three people.
“The situation is improving”, he said.
A man behaving suspiciously in Vitrolles, one of the towns most ravaged by flames, was detained for questioning, according to French media.
The inferno engulfed homes and at least one school in the region.
On Madeira, the flames encroached on the capital Funchal and are blamed for the deaths of three elderly people whose homes caught light.
Some homes in Vitrolles have already been destroyed.
The Madeira fire forced the evacuation of over 1,000 residents and tourists.
Civil protection official Rubina Leal said the mercury topped 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit), the hottest temperature there since 1976, while winds gusted to 90 kilometres an hour (55 mph).
Meanwhile, Spanish authorities said five major fires were raging in the northwestern region of Galicia, with 10 others under control.
The most unsafe fire was burning around Fos-Sur-Mer, 25 miles northwest of Marseille, which is home to a large vast industrial zone where oil and petrochemicals are stocked.
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa visited the island Thursday, surveying the damage from the fires and tweeting: “Now we must move on to the next phase: restoring confidence and rebuilding what there is to rebuild”.
Advertisement
Portugal’s European Union partners have answered a request for assistance and an Italian air tanker will join two Spanish water bombers already deployed, while Morocco has also offered to contribute two additional planes.
