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Heatwave-Driven Wildfires Close A9 Highway and Marseille Airport

Crews backed by more than 1,000 firefighters are battling persistent heatwave-driven blazes under a continued high fire-risk alert.

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Smoke rises over Marseille as a fast-moving wildfire spreads on the outskirts the city, southern France, July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Alexandre Dimou

Overview

  • A blaze near Narbonne has scorched some 2,000 hectares of dried vegetation and led authorities to shut the A9 highway linking France with Spain.
  • The fast-moving fire north of Marseille in Les Pennes-Mirabeau forced Marseille Provence Airport to suspend all flights as it approached the city’s outskirts.
  • Authorities evacuated two housing estates in Les Pennes-Mirabeau and instructed residents of Marseille’s 16th arrondissement to stay confined, close shutters and keep roads clear for emergency operations.
  • Fire officials have mobilized over 1,000 personnel supported by water-bombing Dash and Canadair aircraft, helicopters and naval units to contain the rapidly spreading flames.
  • Investigations into the Narbonne blaze cite bone-dry vegetation and gusts up to 90 km/h as likely ignition factors, with experts warning that human-driven climate change is intensifying early fire seasons.