Wildfires in southern France have forced hundreds of people to be evacuated from the city of Marseille.
Advertisement
Authorities said while Marseille was no longer in danger, they were taking no chances because strong winds could force the fires to spread again although they had remained relatively light on Thursday. Forest fires in Madeira forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 residents and tourists. Two arrests were made in the deadliest Portuguese fire, on the island of Madeira, that killed three people.
“The goal.is to contain the fires to avoid them reaching towns, notably Marseille”, Cazeneuve said as he traveled to France’s second largest city. Four firefighters were injured, with one in serious condition, while fighting a separate blaze in the nearby Herault region.
In an immediate response to Portugal’s request for assistance, the European Union activated the Civil Protection Mechanism to help stop the spread of forest fires in several parts of the country. High winds blew flames through dense brush in the backcountry, which was dry from a summer that saw little rain.
At least two wildfires had been burning toward the Mediterranean port city, forcing the airport to reroute incoming flights to make way for firefighting aircraft.
The fires have already destroyed some homes in the town of Vitrolles, 25km north of Marseille. A total of 186 fires were counted Wednesday on Portugal’s mainland alone and on Thursday, 12 were burning out of control. “The fire is extremely powerful, fast, explosive, and continues burning everything in its path”, firefighters said in a statement from a temporary headquarters set up in Vitrolles.
“The fire seems to be less intense than before but is not yet under control”, Marseille mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin said in a tweet.
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.
A man behaving suspiciously in Vitrolles, one of the towns most ravaged by flames, was detained for questioning, according to French media.
Advertisement
French President Francois Hollande said the authorities believe some of the fires were started deliberately and vowed that the perpetrators would be tracked down.
