A violent fire hit the city of Marseillein the south of France: according to local media, the flames would have broken out yesterday, July 8, a Pennes-Mirabeau, a municipality of about 20,000 inhabitants, and then reach Marseille fueled by the strong winds that have reached the 70 km/h. The mayor of Marseille confirmed to the French broadcaster BFMTV that the fire, at its peak, spread at a speed of 1.2 km per minute.
Due to the fire they are burned about 700 hectares: 110 people they were slightly injured and 63 buildings They were damaged by the flames, but no victims have been reported. Beyond 400 people they were evacuated From their homes, while Marseille airport has been closed and suspended railway traffic. According to some local media, at the origin of the fire, there could be the stake that starts from a car in flames on theA552 motorway. Since the beginning of the year in France they have already burned beyond 20,586 hectares of land, more than double the average of the period 2006-2024, which stops at 8,143 hectares.
At the moment, however, Marseille’s situation seems to have returned under control And air traffic has also been gradually restored.
The situation of fires in France since the beginning of the year
France is dealing with a particularly aggressive season of fires: according to the data reported by Copernicus, from 1 January to 8 July 2025 a total of 20,586 hectares. This is an extremely high data, as evidenced by the graph below, which exceeds beyond the double The average of the hectares burned between 2006 to 2024, that is 8,143 hectares.
Just in these days the south of France has been hit by Several fires flared up in other areas: in particular, in the Department ofHérault (where Montpellier is also found) others have been burned 400 hectareswhile in the region ofAude (in the south-west of the country) For a few days they have been active in the fires that have already damaged 2,000 hectares.
What happened in Marseille
Returning to the fires of Marseille, the residents were warned to stay in the house and not to evacuate unless they were ordered, so that the roads were free for the Emergency vehicles. The authorities also invited the inhabitants to keep the windows closed To prevent toxic smoke from entering homes. To tame the bonfires they were lined up beyond 800 Fire Brigade and five Canadair planeswith the firefighters who worked incessantly throughout the night.
In total, the firefighters had to face eight different bonfires, one of which has reached the municipalities of Castelnau-de -gua And Mountain: due to the smoke produced by the flames, a stretch of theA9 motorway It was closed in both senses of circulation.
At the moment, the situation in Marseille seems to have returned under control, with the Air traffic which was gradually restored From 9.30 pm yesterday July 8: the local authorities confirmed that the fire is “clearly attenuating“, even if the local railway lines remain strongly compromised.
In recent weeks the fires have also involved the rest of Europe: several bonfires have broken out in Italy along the entire peninsulafrom Rome to Sardinia, while the Greek islands of Crete and Chios They were affected by violent fires fueled by strong winds and droughts.
