Marseille fire: fire still burning, firefighters fear a catastrophic scenario

"Micro-fires are currently burning in the north of the 16th arrondissement (...) At this time, there should not be any new homes affected," Marseille Mayor Benoît Payan told BFM Marseille Provence. However, while yesterday's tally showed 60 homes affected, "I fear the toll is higher and more significant than that," he said.

On the road, traffic remains very disrupted this Wednesday. The A55 is still closed in both directions, as are the tunnels (Vieux-Port and Carénage). "A partial reopening of the A55 with a dedicated lane to make it safer for firefighters to operate along the motorway in both directions is being considered," announces France 3 PACA . On the A7, two lanes could be allocated to emergency services in the Lyon-Marseille direction.

SNCF reports that services are suspended between Marseille and Miramas until noon. However, services will continue to operate normally towards Aix-en-Provence, the Alps, and Ventimiglia. SNCF Réseau staff have also checked the railway facilities. TGV Inoui and Ouigo trains will operate normally. "Some adjustments are expected for some OUIGO trains," France 3 PACA reports. "Intercités trains between Marseille and Bordeaux will operate normally in both directions from 12 p.m.," SNCF reports.

This Wednesday morning, firefighters will not be slowing down their efforts in the Marseille region. "All the edges are still flammable (...) it's not over, there's still a lot of work to do to prevent the fire from reigniting or spreading," Nicolas Galand, a firefighter lieutenant-colonel, assured France 2.

In Marseille, "it hasn't rained for several weeks. The vegetation was particularly dry, and the humidity level was below 30%. We often recall the rule of three 30s: less than 30% humidity, more than 30°C, winds of more than 30 km/h (...) All of this means that the spread is significant," Nicolas Galand, a firefighter lieutenant-colonel, analyzed on France 2 this Wednesday.

"The fire is still present in some homes in Marseille (...) We are in a situation that firefighters fear the most, namely a multitude of fires starting and a fire that will arrive in full force on the outskirts of an urban area," warned the general controller of professional firefighters, Marc Vermeulen, on France Info this Wednesday morning. "The wind is still present in the area, which complicates interventions on the ground (...) These are particularly difficult conditions because there can be gas cylinder explosions (...) here again the forest-habitat interface is always a difficulty for firefighters," he said.

END OF LIVE - The fire that broke out this Tuesday has already devoured 700 hectares of vegetation. While 800 firefighters are mobilized to try to put out the flames, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau announced that 110 people were slightly injured by the fire. Evacuated to safety, many residents were unable to return home and had to spend the night in gymnasiums or high schools that were urgently opened to accommodate them. During that day, many people testified, describing scenes of chaos. This was the case for a resident of the Marseille neighborhood of L'Estaque who explained that she had already had to deal with "big fires like this in 2001, 2005, and 2006, but not this quickly." "We were forced to leave because the flames were reaching the garden […] When we were outside, we saw birds flying away in flames," she said, according to RMC.

While there are currently no reported casualties, Bruno Retailleau indicated that 110 people were slightly injured. The Interior Minister also indicated that 63 homes were affected by the flames, including around ten that were seriously damaged.

Arriving in Marseille in the middle of the evening, Bruno Retailleau told the press that the fire was not yet contained. "We hope that the weather conditions [...] and the wind speed will allow the fire to be contained in the next few hours," the minister said.

Furthermore, the member of the executive announced that the work of the firefighters engaged in fighting the blaze would continue "all night", while specifying that 800 firefighters are currently on site.

On X, the vice-president of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, Ludovic Perney, announced that six high schools in Marseille, with gymnasiums and boarding facilities, were being made available "immediately" to accommodate people evacuated due to the fire.

Faced with power outages, Marseille's North Hospital has decided to switch to its generators, reports La Provence . This measure was taken as a precaution to secure its various equipment, particularly its imaging equipment. Particular vigilance is also being paid to health centers located in the northern districts.

The Interior Minister arrived in Marseille to monitor the situation there. He is also currently attending a meeting at the security checkpoint, reports BFMTV.

In a post on the X network, the president of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region expressed his "immense respect" for the firefighters still working on the Marseille and Pennes-Mirabeau fires. "We are thinking of the evacuated people, those whose homes were damaged, and our injured firefighters," wrote Renaud Muselier, who also thanked the reinforcements from Var, Gard, and Vaucluse.

Michel Amiel, the non-partisan mayor of Pennes-Mirabeau, assured BFM Marseille Provence that the raging fire is "under control," even if it is still not "completely extinguished." The mayor also stated that the damage to his town is extensive, with 400 hectares of vegetation burned, as well as three or four houses affected by the flames. However, there are no reported casualties so far.

On BFMTV, Commander Adrien Ponin-Sinapayen, spokesperson for Civil Security, announced that more than 1,000 firefighters would remain on duty overnight, referring to a "complex situation" on the ground due to deteriorating weather conditions accompanied by strong winds in the area and high temperatures.