France and Spain wildfire eyewitnesses describe wall of flames and mass fear

Residents and tourists in wildfire-hit areas of France and Spain are sharing harrowing first-hand accounts of the disaster, as blazes continue to scorch tens of thousands of hectares and force mass evacuations across both countries.

Fear in Bordeaux

In the French city of Bordeaux, resident Pierre Pourquery described a "thick smoke haze" blown across the city, with many people wearing masks and struggling to breathe. Another man who planned to leave on Tuesday said the city looked like "the scene of a horrible film." A wildfire has burned to within 15km (9 miles) of the city's outskirts. Chris De Abreu, who works in France and owns a flat in Bordeaux, described how "over the weekend the city was engulfed in smoke with the sun disappearing behind" an "orange-like filter."

Families without shelter

Rachel Hanberry, whose beachfront home in Biscarrosse Plage sits about 63km from Bordeaux, described how her property became a refuge. "Everyone came here on Thursday night. People had nowhere to go. We offered our home to people," she said. She added that the community has "lost so much" and that "the stress and trauma that you feel as someone living here is immense."

Near-misses in southern France

In Cotignac in south-eastern France, Jo Barnes and her family returned home after a four-day evacuation to find the fire had come within 10 metres of their house. "A wall of orange flames came roaring up over the hill," she said. "On Friday afternoon, the fire came back to our area... within 10 metres of the back of our house. We have a gas tank here, it was all very dramatic."

Scale of the crisis

More than 300,000 people have been evacuated across France and Spain in total. France has called on the EU's civil protection mechanism for help as its resources are stretched. Emergency responders from multiple European countries have been deployed. Meteorologists warn that another intense heatwave is on its way to the region, which could further intensify the blazes.