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Southern France Wildfires Remain Uncontained, Airport and Highway Closed

Prolonged heatwave conditions have fueled uncontained blazes despite massive firefighter deployments.

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People look on near the Plage des Corbieres, on the outskirts of Marseille, southern France on July 8, 2025, as a smoke from a wildfire rages in the background.

Overview

  • The Narbonne fire, which erupted July 7, has consumed about 2,000 hectares of parched vegetation and forced the Prefecture of Aude to shut the A9 autoroute as investigators probe its origins.
  • A separate blaze near Les Pennes-Mirabeau has scorched around 350 hectares, grounded Marseille Provence Airport and prompted Mayor Benoît Payan to order residents in northern districts to remain confined.
  • Emergency services have deployed over 1,000 firefighters, two Dash aircraft and Canadair water bombers at Narbonne, and dispatched 168 firefighters, two helicopters and 68 engines to the Marseille front.
  • Flights bound for Marseille Provence Airport have been diverted to Nice and Nîmes while the runway remains closed pending safer conditions.
  • Météo France maintains a high-risk warning for wildfires under ongoing heatwave conditions, cautioning that this season could surpass previous records.