Wildfires in southern France contained before reaching Marseilles but threat of new outbreak remains

'Everything burned, the house, the car... there is nothing left,' one French resident says

A man walks in front of burnt trucks following a fire which has devastated some 3,300 hectares in the area, in Les Pennes Mirabeau, north of Marseille on August 11, 2016 (BORIS HORVAT/AFP/Getty Images)

Wildfires in the south of France have been contained by firefighters after they erupted near Marseille.

The city of Marseilles was spared from the flames, but hundreds in the south of the country remained evacuated from their homes.

Officials said that windy conditions meant towns in the area remained in danger.

Three civilians and four fighters were injured by the fires, some seriously, according to AFP news agency.

The inferno engulfed homes and at least one school in the southern region.

Major roads were closed for fire engines and Marseille airport redirected flights to allow room for firefighting aircraft, as more than 1,500 firefighters rushed to calm the flames.

One resident in Vitrolles told BFM-TV: "Everything burned, the house, the car... there is nothing left."

How the fires, which took hold in Rognac, began is not yet known.

Gymnasiums in the region were packed overnight with hundreds who were not allowed to return to their homes, AP reported.

Although fires in the Summer months are frequent in the South of France, it is unusual for them to destroy urban areas.

Portugal was also experiencing devastating wildfires, with fires on the Island of Madeira reaching its largest city. More than 150 homes were destroyed by the blaze and three people killed.