British tourists landing in Bordeaux on Monday walked into a city shrouded in thick smoke, as an unprecedented wildfire crept to within 15km of the city centre, forcing more than 300,000 people to evacuate across France and Spain.
Pierre Pourquery, a resident of Bordeaux, described the scene as “anxious and fearful”, with people wearing masks and struggling to breathe under a “thick smoke haze” that had been blown across the city. Another man, planning to leave after seeing the city “engulfed in smoke”, said “it was like the scene of a horrible film”.
“More than 300,000 evacuated as French and Spanish wildfires rage; British tourists continue to arrive in smoke-shrouded Bordeaux.”
Despite the visible danger, some British travellers chose to go ahead with their plans. Steve Bray, arriving from London Gatwick with his partner Laura Slade for a wedding in the south, told The Independent they had seen no warnings from either government, their airline or hotel. “We assessed that the French authorities are on top of it and if it was ‘bad bad bad’, then we wouldn’t have been allowed to fly in the first place,” he said. “Overall, can’t complain. We’re on holiday, so haven’t got work tomorrow!”
Others were less sanguine. A British Airways flight from Gatwick was held on the apron for nearly three hours, waiting for landing clearance. Passengers were given water and snacks. Vicko Parian, also on holiday, admitted being “a bit nervous” but said they could always take a train to Paris if the situation worsened. James Massip, arriving from Luton, said he was “more nervous about the airport shutting” and being unable to get home.
Meanwhile, on the ground, the fire has already consumed tens of thousands of hectares. In Biscarrosse Plage, about 63km from Bordeaux, Rachel Hanberry told BBC Radio 5 Live that the community “lost so much”. “Everyone came here on Thursday night,” she said. “People had nowhere to go. We offered our home to people. The stress and trauma that you feel as someone living here is immense.”
Further south-east, in Cotignac, Jo Barnes and her family evacuated for four days after a “wall of orange flames came roaring up over the hill”. Their home survived, but the surrounding hillside was charred. “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,” she said.
Spain has also been hit hard. One blaze near Madrid has been described as the largest wildfire in recent Spanish history. Olga Congacha told AFP news agency that residents had to flee quickly: “Everyone had to get out of the village quickly, it was a critical situation and people were scared.” Spain has declared a state of emergency after more than 27,000 hectares burned in the central region alone.
French authorities have warned that the wildfire near Bordeaux could accelerate as a predicted heatwave arrives this week. The UK Foreign Office advises those in affected areas to follow instructions from local authorities and call 112 if in need of emergency help.
For the thousands evacuated, the immediate future remains uncertain. As Chris De Abreu, a British expat in Bordeaux, put it: “I can see a number of people worried about what is to come.”
