Firefighters worked to prevent the blaze from entering France’s second-biggest city, where ash and smoke had spread overnight.

A wildfire in southern France has forced Marseille airport to close and interrupted train traffic as the blaze spread rapidly to the edges of the southern French city.

A wildfire that had reached the northwestern outskirts of France's second city of Marseille lost intensity overnight on Wednesday, but the airport was closed as firefighters continued to battle the flames.