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Wildfires in southern France tamed but risk of new blazes remains high

Firefighters on Thursday tamed wildfires which had started a day earlier in the countryside located on the northern edge of the French port city of Marseille. However, the region still faces the risk of new fires.

A picture taken in Vitrolles, southern France on Thursday shows burnt vehicles following a fire which devastated some 5,600 acres.
A picture taken in Vitrolles, southern France on Thursday shows burnt vehicles following a fire which devastated some 5,600 acres. Franck Pennant/AFP
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The fires took hold on Wednesday afternoon and spread over 5,600 acres of scrubland and wooded areas.

Some 1,800 firefighters were drafted in to combat the fires. They were aided by 500 rescue vehicles, five air tankers and two helicopters and around 100 police.

According to a local official, Jean Rampon, “three people suffered burns including one who is seriously injured,” he said, adding that around 20 firefighters and a dozen police officers were suffering from smoke inhalation.

Around 1000 people were forced to leave their homes to spend the night in shelters in the area, including 300 from the city of Vitrolles, some 30 km north of Marseille, which lost 1,600 hectares to the blazes.

Transport by road and air was badly affected by the fire on Wednesday evening, with two motorways closed and some flights cancelled at Marseille airport.

Though the fires have been brought under control, Rampon said that violent winds are exposing the area to the risk of new fires, adding that the dry vegetation was a matter of concern.
 

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