(Marseille) A vehicle fire degenerated into a large forest fire in the Marseille region on Tuesday. Shaken, residents and people passing through town had to spend the night in emergency shelters.
Christine Lefort did not plan to sleep in a gymnasium when she left her house on Tuesday morning. “I had to take a flight to Naples where I was going to join friends. I arrived at Marseille Provence airport around 11 a.m. At 1 p.m., we were told that [le vol] was canceled, ”explains the traveler, who displays a frank smile despite the fatigue.
Read the article “The fire has ceased its evolution in Marseille, without being mastered”
Sitting on a plastic bench, she sips a coffee offered by the Red Cross volunteers in one of the four emergency reception centers set up following a fire around Marseille on Tuesday.
Meriem Bioud photo, special collaboration
Christine Lefort in an emergency reception center in Marseille, Tuesday
Between two sips, she continues. “We were not informed by the airport. It is by receiving messages from my friends that I understood, ”says the retiree, scrolling images on her phone. On the screen, planes flying over a mountain on fire are displayed in close -up.
The fire ravaged more than 700 hectares in a few hours. He declared himself at the end of the morning of a car parked on the edge of the highway.
The blaze turned into fire because of the strong winds. In total, 1000 firefighters, 7 helicopters and as many Canadia were mobilized.
The flames reached the districts north of the city. At the same time, a thick yellowish cloud was deployed in the air. The airport and certain roads have been closed, leaving travelers like Christine Lefort on the side.
“At the start, I was not afraid, I thought it was the adventure. I was convinced that I could go home or take a hotel room, ”explains Christine Lefort. But all accommodation is complete.
Meriem Bioud photo, special collaboration
The camp beds of the emergency center of the Vallier gymnasium in Marseille
At nightfall, alone and without a place to go, she pushes the door of the police station where an agent directs her towards the emergency center. “I am grateful, I did not see myself wandering alone in a city that I do not know. »»
“I was afraid”
Sana Saibi, resident of Estaque, a district of the north of the city, was with her three children and her niece when traffic was blocked. Without a bus, impossible for her to return to her accommodation. “Smoke gave me an allergy in my eyes,” says the mother. A volunteer applies an anti-irritant product while her children play. They are marked by the day. “There was a lot of wind, my t-shirt flew away and stuff stung my back on me,” says Omar, 7 years old.
Meriem Bioud photo, special collaboration
Sana Saibi with her three sons and her niece in an emergency reception center on Tuesday in Marseille
“I was afraid, I wanted us to go to Paris,” adds his big brother Abderamen, 10 years old. “Today is a dangerous day,” says their cousin Areen, 4, in a serious tone. “I am afraid of sleeping alone in the gymnasium with the closed lights,” concludes Mohamed, 9 years old.
A specialized team has been trained to receive them. At their head, there is Patrick Paluzzi, security technician with the city’s population protection department. The man with tender eyes records new arrivals and listens to their stories at the entrance to the center. “They are lost, we are there to secure them, calm them while waiting for them to resume their normal life,” he said.
Meriem Bioud photo, special collaboration
Patrick Paluzzi, security technician with the city’s population protection department, welcomes arrivals.
For some, the day has everything in the disaster scenario. It is a little more than midnight at the Estaque social center when Léopoldine Sendeal crosses the entrance. “Can I come with my cat?” “She says worried about the welcome volunteer.
To tell her experience, she relies on the videos she has taken with her phone. “This is what I saw when I woke up from my nap. On the screen, a view of his window saturated with a huge cloud of smoke.
“It was very black, very yellow, well apocalyptic. I was not afraid for my house, but for my animals and my elderly neighbors. We feel badly neglected and not supported enough, we had zero indication. It was permanent stress all day. We evacuated on our own by exchanging on the WhatsApp group of our residence. Fortunately we have our neighbors, ”she says.
In the dark night from Tuesday to Wednesday, the streets were deserted with the exception of firefighters who passed at full speed. In the air, the helicopters continued their operations so as not to leave the fire that had been mastered at the end of the day regain the upper hand. Wednesday morning, we had dozens of buildings affected by the flames and 400 people evacuated.
