A forest fire reaches Marseille, forcing residents to remain in lockdown 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 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 spread rapidly to Marseille, where more than 700 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, although the blaze is now under control, according to the latest information. Northbound rail traffic, including high-speed trains in Paris, was disrupted due to the proximity of the fire to the tracks, according to the SNCF.

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. The prefect of Marseille, Georges-François Leclerc, initially asked residents of the 16th arrondissement to self-isolate and activated a crisis unit, but later extended the lockdown request to all citizens and asked them to stay home with their doors and windows closed: "Dem city," Leclerc said.

Confined children and a hospital without electricity

Firefighters have evacuated businesses and confined children from summer camps. The city council has also prepared sports centers in case residents need to be evacuated. Residents have lost power, including a hospital, which has been forced to use generators to continue operating normally.

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. "We have to close in, seal the doors, and put down towels. It's truly unbreathable, it's an atrocity, I've never seen anything like it," the woman said.

Furthermore, in the Narbonne area, another fire that started yesterday has burned some 2,000 hectares and left a dozen injured. In Narbonne, residents of two neighborhoods have also been urged by authorities to stay indoors.