The rapidly spreading wildfire is on the outer edge of France’s second largest city Marsile.
The city’s mayor Benoit Payan said, “Marine Fire Fighter Battalion Guerrilla Warfare is hoses in hand.”
Prefect of the Bouch-Do-Ron region, Georges-French Lakeler, urged the local residents to stay indoors and said that firefighting was “defense” to the city.
He said that when the situation was not stable, it was “under control”.
Marsile Provence Airport has been closed for the rest of Tuesday.
Some residents have been advised to stay inside, close the shutters and doors, and keep the streets clear for emergency services.
Payness-Mirbuw, in the north of Marsile, already caught fire on Tuesday, it is said to have covered about 700 hectares (7 sq km).
Local authorities said the explosion was thrown from a car that caught fire on the motorway, and that it could continue because it is set to blow up strong winds by this evening.
“This is very striking – even apocaliptic,” the city’s resident Monic Beareng told Reuters News Agency. He said that many of his neighbors had already left.
Local fire service said 168 firefighters were deployed to fight the blaze, as well as fire engines and helicopters.
The Mayor of Marsile, Benoit Payan, asked the residents to be “extremely cautious” and limit their movements. Local people told the French TV of dense traffic jam as people tried to vacate the city.
The online posted footage showed huge plums of smoke over Marsile as a mountainous region caught fire to its north.
According to the French broadcaster BFMTV, the Bauch-Do-Rone region has not recorded a single drop of rain since May 19.
Somewhere else in France, another wildfire that began near Narbon on Monday, remains active, surrounded by 60 km (38mph) winds per hour. Local officials said some 2,000 hectares were burnt.
Wildfires were also reported in other parts of Europe, including the Catalonia region of Spain, where more than 18,000 people were ordered to stay at home due to wildfire in East Province Targana.
Emergency units were deployed with 300 firefighters as strong winds affected the flames throughout the night, which have spread to about 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) land.
Many other parts of Spain – which experienced their hottest June on record – were on high alert for wildfires.
In Greece, some 41 wildfires were broken across the country on Monday. According to the fire service, 34 of them were quickly vested, while seven were active on Monday evening.
Most of the western and southern Europe hit a scorching summer heat, causing thousands of people to be evacuated from their homes.
