The Marine Firefighters of Marseilles – N°7 : emergency evacuation | Le Bataillon des Marins Pompiers de Marseille | RMC Découverte

In the height of summer, the heat forces all Marseilles to live with their windows open. A fire is reported in an apartment with windows back and front in a building with balconies and open windows.

This sort of fire is feared by the Marseille firefighters. Because smoke escapes and rises up the floors, threatening to poison all residents. It only needs three minutes for the flames to produce toxic smoke, which, at high temperatures, burns the lungs of residents before it asphyxiates them. Tragedy is averted, but the firefighters are on high alert as they sift through the debris. The debris is taken out piece by piece in order to separate the objects and furniture that is most flammable. Modern materials used to decorate apartments can re-ignite several hours after being extinguished.

On this day, the flames destroy everything in their path.

Every year, thousands of tourists set out to explore the Calanques, forgetting that in this tiny corner of the world, the least incident can take on unimaginable proportions.

Somebody is reported as taken sick on one of the major coastal footpaths. The roads leading there are narrow. To get there and synchronize with the arrival of the civil emergency helicopter, the GRIMP has to beat all records.