The situation was developing “favorably” Tuesday morning on the front of the fire which has burned several hundred hectares of vegetation near Marseille since Monday, according to firefighters, who still had to deal with a few times of fire.
Nine hundred firefighters – against 1,300 Monday evening – were still present Tuesday morning to fight against the disaster, which finally burned 450 hectares of vegetation, according to the fire and rescue service (Sdis) of Bouches-du-Rhône, including a previous report reported 500 hectares traveled.
We will remain vigilant even if the situation evolves favorably
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“The wind will really drop at 9am, that should help us a lot,” commented a spokesperson for Sdis. However, he should get up during the afternoon, “but less strong than during the last three days”, added another spokesperson for the Bouches-du-Rhône firefighters: “It is for this reason that we will remain vigilant even if the situation evolves favorably, “he added, anticipating a” difficult job of flooding “the fire throughout the day on Tuesday.
The disaster which started around 2:05 p.m. Monday in Istres, about fifty kilometers west of Marseille, then affected three other municipalities, Saint-Miter-les-Remparts, Port-de-Bouc and Martigues, forcing the firefighters, supported by significant air assets, to protect homes and occasionally evacuate a few people.
Six injured firefighters
Six firefighters were slightly injured or inconvenienced in the operations, like two other people, including a pregnant woman.
All of the 24 Bouches-du-Rhône massifs have been placed since this weekend in “very high fire risk” because of the heat and the wind, which means in particular a ban on access for the public.
On the night of August 4 to 5, a fire devastated more than 1,000 hectares in a very touristy area of Martigues, in the Bouches-du-Rhône, which required the evacuation, including by sea, of several hundred of people.
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