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.