A fast-moving wildfire reached the outskirts of Marseille, France’s second-largest city, on Tuesday, leading its airport to be shut down, with residents told to stay indoors and shut all openings to be safe from the smoke.

A wildfire that reached the northwestern outskirts of France's second city of Marseille lost intensity overnight, but firefighters were still battling the flames on Wednesday. Residents who had been told on Tuesday to stay in their homes for their own safety were once again allowed out.

Flights to and from Marseille have been suspended and traffic at the city’s main train station was disrupted due to a wildfire near the southern French port city.

Firefighters worked through the night to prevent the blaze from entering France’s second-biggest city, and brought the wildfire under control on Wednesday morning.

A wildfire that reached Marseille has been pushed back but remains active. The mayor of France's second-largest city says that overall the fire is receding on Wednesday.

A huge wildfire on the edges of Marseille started to retreat after injuring more than 100 people, forcing residents to evacuate and destroying a number of homes.