Flights grounded at Marseille airport due to nearby wildfire
Vehicle fire led to more than 30 hectares burning as strong winds caused blaze to spread
The fire caused several flights from the nearby airport to be cancelled. Photo for illustrative purposes only
Ververidis Vasilis / EQRoy / Shutterstock
A wildfire near Marseille airport temporarily grounded all flights as water planes fought to control the blaze.
A vehicle reportedly caught on fire on the A552 near Les Pennes-Mirabeau (Bouches-du-Rhône) around 11:00 on July 8, quickly leading to around 30 hectares of land being destroyed.
The cause of the fire was accidental, but strong winds caused it to rapidly spread through the nearby dry vegetation.
Several flights to and from nearby Marseille-Provence airport have been delayed or cancelled since the fire started, both as a precautionary measure and to allow firefighting aviation craft to work undisturbed by flights.
Some flights are now arriving or departing on a delayed schedule, and normal service looks set to resume at around 15:00, but travellers should check the airport’s live departure board or contact their airline.
People in nearby communes received an FR-Alert on their phones asking them to stay indoors until the fire is under control.
Trains on the line between Miramas and Estaque were delayed until around 14:00, as more than 160 firefighters attempted to tackle the blaze. Smoke could be seen from parts of Marseille.
No injuries have been reported due to the blaze, and one property is currently under protection due to its proximity to the fire.
The Bouches-du-Rhône department is facing the highest risk of forest fires according to state forecaster Météo France.
Elsewhere in the south, firefighters in the Aude department are continuing to tackle a massive blaze that has so far burned over 2,000 hectares of land.
