A forest fire reaches Marseille, forcing residents to remain in confinement and the airport to close.

ParisA forest fire that broke out Tuesday morning reached the city of Marseille in the early afternoon, forcing neighborhood lockdowns, evacuations, and the closure of the city's airport, France's fourth-largest. The fire started in a nearby town when a vehicle caught fire on the highway, but quickly spread through the mountains to Marseille, where more than 720 firefighters are working to prevent the flames from spreading to buildings. Firefighters have reported unfavorable conditions—particularly wind and heat.

At least 10 homes, five of them in Marseille, have been affected by the fire. Northbound rail traffic, including high-speed trains in Paris, was disrupted due to the fire's proximity to the tracks, the SNCF reported.

The strong mistral wind, temperatures above 30°C, and dry vegetation have contributed to the rapid spread of the flames, which have so far burned 700 hectares. Marseille's prefect, Georges-François Leclerc, asked residents of the 16th arrondissement to self-isolate, activated a crisis unit, and urged other citizens to avoid unnecessary travel: "I ask the population to stay home; firefighters are defending the city." Four hundred residents have also been evacuated, those from the houses closest to the fire.

Confined children and a hospital without electricity

Firefighters have also evacuated businesses and confined children from summer camps. The city council has prepared sports centers in case it is necessary to evacuate more residents in the coming hours. So far, there are no fatalities, but nine firefighters have suffered smoke poisoning. The fire has also affected power lines, and some areas of the city—the second largest in France, with a population of 877,000—have lost power, such as a hospital, which has been forced to use generators to continue operating normally.

Residents of Marseille have shared images of the "apocalyptic" situation in the city center on social media, where smoke and strong winds can be seen.

Despite the lockdown in the 16th arrondissement, an area surrounded by hills, some residents have chosen to leave their homes. "I saw the fire, I was scared, and I decided to leave," one resident told the newspaper. Provence"We see the fire, it's horrible, we're scared. It's a catastrophe, it's unbreathable, we can't go outside," another Marseille resident explained on BFMTV. Firefighters were called to Les Pennes-Mirabeau around 10:50 a.m., in an area near the A-552 motorway, at the junction of the A-55 and A-7 motorways, which were also closed to traffic. The runways and landing strips were closed due to the proximity of the fire, while the Saint-Charles train station suspended all routes to the north and southwest. Authorities have recommended that residents of two neighborhoods stay indoors. This Monday, this fire forced the closure of the A-9 motorway, which connects to Catalonia along the Mediterranean coast.