Forest fire, which disrupted the air and rail transport in the French port city of Marseille and its surroundings, weakened on Wednesday. According to the authorities, the flames destroyed at least ten houses and no victims have been reported yet. TASR informs this based on the AFP report.
“The fire is clearly receded, it is no longer spread,” said Lionel Mathieu, commander of Marseille firefighters. According to him, the flames hit approximately 750 hectares of land and affected at least 70 dwellings. Approximately 700 firefighters continues to intervene on the spot, which are also helped by helicopters throwing water from height. Most of the thousands of people who had to leave their homes on Tuesday could already return.
The flames spread on Tuesday morning after the vehicle fire. The Marseille-Provence Airport in Marignan, which is the fourth largest airport in France, has also been closed. Traffic was partially restored on Tuesday evening, but the authorities warned that the airport could be temporarily closed again if the air firefighting interventions are required. High -speed rail transport was restored in Marseille on Wednesday morning, but local train connections remain significantly limitedinformed the SNCF carrier.
Near the city of Narbonne on the Mediterranean coast, firefighters are struggling with another fire, which has destroyed 2000 hectares of stands since Monday. The first major fires of this season broke out in several southern parts of the country last weekend and caused extensive traffic jams at the beginning of the summer holidays. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau warned that France is likely to expect a “high -risk summer summer”.
