Sawt Falasteen - France wildfire shuts down Marseille airport

Several forest fires have raged in recent days in southern France, fanning out at speed due to wind and parched vegetation after a heatwave.

Scientists say human-induced climate change is increasing the intensity, length and frequency of the extreme heat that causes some forest fires.

The fire started in a vehicle in the area of Pennes-Mirabeau to the north of Marseille, on the road to its airport, roaring across 350 hectares (860 acres) by the afternoon, firefighters said.

It sent plumes of acrid smoke billowing into the sky, causing the airport to close its runways shortly after midday and cancel at least 10 flights, a spokesman for the Marseille Provence airport said.

The air hub's website showed departures -- including to Brussels, Munich and Naples -- had been called off.

In rail travel, the website of the SNCF national operator showed more than a dozen train trips had been cancelled in and out of the city.

Marseille mayor Benoit Payan on X warned residents that the fire was now "at the doors of Marseille", urging inhabitants in the north of the city to refrain from taking to the roads to leave way for rescue services.

The mayor of Pennes-Mirabeau said two housing estates had been evacuated and firefighters had positioned themselves outside an old people's home to fight off approaching flames.

The Marseille Provence airport is the country's fourth after Charles-de-Gaulle and Orly outside Paris, and Nice.

- 'Never seen anything like it' -

The fire near Marseille is just the latest to have hit France in recent days.

To the west along the Mediterranean coast, near the city of Narbonne, more than 1,000 firefighters from around the country were seeking to contain another blaze.

It had crept across 2,000 hectares (4,900 acres) of trees since starting on the property of a winery on Monday afternoon, they said.

In the village of Prat-de-Cest on Tuesday morning, trees were blackened or still on fire.

As she watched fire trucks drive to and fro, retiree Martine Bou, who did not give her age, recounted fleeing her home with her cats, tortoises and dog on Monday afternoon before returning.

But her husband Frederic stayed all night to hose down the great pines on the other side of the road so the fire would not engulf their home.

The fire near Narbonne caused authorities to close the A9 autoroute to Spain, but on Tuesday morning they said they were progressively reopening it to traffic.

O.Salim--SF-PST