A wildfire that reached the northwestern outskirts of France's second-biggest city Marseille lost intensity overnight, though firefighters continued to battle the smouldering blaze on Wednesday and warned that it could flare up again.

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

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.