LIVE - Fire in Marseille: the fire, still active, is decreasing in intensity

Recent heatwave in Europe up to 4°C hotter due to global warming. Climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels made the recent heatwave in western Europe up to 4°C hotter in many cities, exposing thousands of vulnerable people to dangerous heat stress, according to a "rapid study" published Wednesday. Between late June and early July , temperatures well exceeded 40°C in many European countries during the exceptional and early heatwave that triggered numerous health alerts. "We estimate that global warming amplified the heatwave by about 2°C to 4°C in most of the cities" studied, including Paris, London and Madrid, said Ben Clarke of Imperial College London, who led the study with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

The fire, still active in Marseille, is decreasing in intensity. The violent fire threatening Marseille has decreased in intensity but is still not contained, the prefecture announced this Wednesday morning, after the Minister of the Interior warned of a "high-risk summer ." "In Marseille, the fire is decreasing in intensity" this Wednesday morning, "but the edges are still active and not stabilized," a spokesperson for the prefecture said, specifying that the fire was not contained at this stage.

In Marseille, the prefecture lifts the lockdown for residents of Pennes-Mirabeau and the 16th arrondissement. The prefecture of the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region announced this Wednesday morning on X that "residents of Pennes-Mirabeau" and "the 16th arrondissement of Marseille are out of lockdown." However, it warns that the fire is still raging and calls for vigilance. The prefecture also states that "it is still too early for the [400] people evacuated [Tuesday] to return home."

A record-breaking June in Western Europe. June 2025 was the hottest June ever recorded in Western Europe, as "extreme" temperatures hit the continent, the European Copernicus service announced on Wednesday, noting that Europe is warming twice as fast as the global average. June was marked by two heatwaves —between June 17 and 22 and then from June 30—that were "exceptional" in their intensity and precocity, noted Samantha Burgess, a climatologist for Copernicus, in a press release. In the context of global warming, "these heatwaves are likely to be more frequent, more intense, and will affect more and more people in Europe," she stressed.

TGV services are scheduled to resume in Marseille this Wednesday morning. Following a disruption due to violent fires on Tuesday at the city gates, TGV services are scheduled to resume this Wednesday morning, while local train services remain severely disrupted, SNCF announced. The first train of the morning, scheduled for 5:18 a.m. for Paris, was, however, announced with a 35-minute delay due to "preparation difficulties," according to the Marseille station's online departure board. TGV Inoui, Ouigo, and Frecciarossa trains to Paris, Lyon, and Lille have also been canceled due to the fires. On the conventional line, services remained suspended this Wednesday morning between Marseille and Miramas, heading for Avignon, "while checks and repairs are finalized on Wednesday morning," SNCF said. Local trains in that direction are canceled, with an estimated resumption time of noon.