A forest fire Tuesday ravaged 800 hectares of vegetation near the southern French city of Marseille, forcing the evacuation of over 200 people, officials said.

There were no casualties thus far from the blaze that broke out west of Marseille, as 1,200 firefighters and water bombing planes were deployed to fight the flames.

Some 225 people, mostly tourists and campers, were evacuated by boat to a nearby fishing village and then taken by bus to makeshift shelters in the town of Martigues.

"We are braced for a difficult fight throughout the night," said a spokesman for the firefighting service in the Bouches du Rhone department.

The fire broke out in the afternoon, sending out plumes of black smoke. It crossed eight kilometres in two hours, fanned by strong winds, the firefighting service said.

Seven water-dumping planes and a number of helicopters and other aircraft were deployed to back up 1,200 firefighters, officials said.

"We were in Martigues for shopping but now we cannot enter our home in La Couronne. All the roads have been cut off and the fire's burning everywhere," said Mylene Greffeuille.

"We're very worried because my father is old and he is La Couronne," near the fire, she said.

Part of a highway from Marseille to Martigues has been closed.

Malaysia ditches law to combat forest fire smog
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Aug 4, 2020 –

Malaysia was criticised Tuesday for abandoning plans to introduce legislation that would have punished its firms operating in neighbouring Indonesia if they are found to have caused smog-belching forest fires.

Massive blazes, often started to clear land for palm oil plantations, burn out of control in Indonesia every year, blanketing the region in toxic smoke.

Last year's were the worst since 2015 due to dry weather, with the haze forcing many schools in Indonesia and Malaysia to close and putting the health of millions at risk.

Indonesia claimed that fires had blazed out of control on some plantations owned by several Malaysian firms.

This prompted the Malaysian government to look at drafting a law that would have punished companies from the country found to have contributed to causing smog-producing fires overseas.

But a new administration that took office in March announced Monday it was ditching the plan.

Environment Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said officials would instead work with other countries in the region to tackle the problem and pointed to a similar law in Singapore, which has been criticised as ineffective.

But Greenpeace Malaysia campaigner Heng Kiah Chun criticised the "premature shelving" of the law.

"Taking action against Malaysian-owned companies operating abroad that contribute to the haze is a good step to ensure that the companies operate responsibly," he told AFP.

"The haze has been affecting Southeast Asian countries for years — tackling this regional haze is in the interest of everyone."

Indonesia has already been hit by fire outbreaks this year, although there has not been a major spread of smog across the region yet.

Last month, an Indonesian province on Borneo island declared a state of emergency while in May tens of thousands of personnel and water-bombing aircraft were deployed to tackle the season's first blazes.

There are growing fears over Indonesia's ability to tackle the crisis this year, with funds and personnel redirected to battling an escalating coronavirus outbreak.