- Forest fires are currently raging near Marseille as well as in Greece, Izmir (Türkiye) and Čiovo (Croatia).
- The fires near Marseille have been contained, but the danger remains high due to wind and drought.
- Italy is also raising the forest fire warning level.
Several forest fires have been raging in southern France since Wednesday. Two places 20 kilometers north of Marseille are particularly affected. So far no one has been injured, but 600 people have had to leave their homes. Due to its close proximity to the port city, there is a strong smell of burning in the air in the city.
At the height of the fire, up to 800 firefighters were deployed in Lançon-Provence and Rognac. Shortly before 4 a.m. on Thursday, according to the Bouches-du-Rhône fire department, the fire in Lançon-Provence was contained and the evacuees returned to their homes. “The fire could flare up again and conditions could be very unfavorable,” warn the emergency services on site. Strong winds and very low humidity are two factors that can promote fires.
Also north of Narbonne near Montpellier, 900 hectares of vegetation burned down on Thursday. The fire had not yet been contained as of Thursday afternoon. “We were evacuated yesterday afternoon and could see the flames from the street,” said Béatrice Bourrel from the town of Pouzols-Minervois. “The village was black with smoke,” she added.
There were also fires in Croatia, Greece and a popular holiday region in Turkey
The intense heat is not only causing forest fires in southern France. There was also a major fire on the Croatian island of Čiovo after a lightning strike. The strong winds promoted the fire and made extinguishing work difficult. The situation has now improved significantly, as fire chief Slavko Tucaković announced.
In Greece, more than 40 new forest fires within 24 hours are causing alarm. Many of the fires have been contained, but the danger remains high. An increased forest fire warning applies in many regions. These include Athens, Delphi, Rhodes City, Olympia and Thessaloniki.
A forest fire has been blazing in the popular Turkish holiday region of Izmir since Tuesday. Strong winds also drove the flames into populated areas. However, the high temperatures make extinguishing work more difficult.
In Italy, local authorities in the Emilia-Romagna region increased the warning level. The area of wildfires will have doubled across the country in 2025. The aim is to be able to react as quickly as possible in the event of a fire.
Jasmin Steiger (jst) has been working for 20 minutes since 2026. She works on the news desk and writes about a wide variety of topics.
