Images from Le Grand-Crohot campsite in Lege-Cap-Ferret in south west France showed the charred remains of cars, vans, push bikes and buildings, as locals say there were scenes reminiscent of Pompeii
Firefighters were racing to control wildfires in searing heat today as Bordeaux residents said the conditions were ‘like Pompeii’. Stark images from Lege-Cap-Ferret in south west France showed the charred remains of cars, vans, push bikes and buildings. Locals said there were scenes reminiscent of Pompeii after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 as they fled to safety, the air thick with smoke.
Temperatures of 39C are forecast just as the latest heatwave of the summer hits the UK. Bordeaux resident Chris de Abrea said: “It reminds me a little bit of Pompeii, especially over the weekend. The air was quite smoky; it was quite difficult to breathe. The smell of burning was pretty much all around the city.”
The wildfire has burned more than 42,000 hectares, destroying 240 homes. More than 300,000 people have been evacuated across France and Spain. French President Emmanuel Macron has said the wildfires raging near Bordeaux are the toughest since the Second World War.
He said: “We must understand we are facing a completely unprecedented wildfire. The situation we are dealing with is the most severe we have ever recorded.”
“Every available resource has been deployed with more than 1,500 military personnel helping to tackle the fire.” Mr Macron added that firebreaks have been dug and reinforced to stop the fire’s advance.
Chris said that while many in the Bordeaux were “just getting on” with their lives, others are contemplating staying with relatives elsewhere.
“The main concerns for people are, ‘where do I go from here if I don’t have family?’ and then, ‘will I see my home again?’.”
He never thought things would come to the situation now unfolding near Bordeaux, describing it as “almost surreal”. He added: “It’s just scary to know that the fire could get this close.”
Spain’s national weather service warned of extreme fire risk due to intense heat and dryness across the country. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said controlling the country’s wildfires was absolutely crucial. María Eugenia Olive, the technical director of the Official Association of Forest Technical Engineers, said firefighting efforts were becoming increasingly complicated due to the high temperatures forecast this week. It was forecast to hit 39C in southern Europe. One resident was evacuated from her home in Saint-Médard-en-Jalles in south west France on Saturday morning, along with her British partner, and their son, 19.
She told the Mirror: “We were evacuated on Friday night. All of us and two dogs left and escaped to Agen, where we booked into a hotel. The air quality in Bordeaux has massively improved now. Inside the ring motorway, you wouldn’t really know that this disaster is happening now. There’s been a huge wave of solidarity here with hundreds and hundreds of people offering a room or two to those who have had to be evacuated, and 9,000 people registered as volunteers to help with various things.
“We’re all worried things could deteriorate again though, as we enter the fourth heatwave of the year, and if winds start blowing towards Bordeaux again.
“Being evacuated felt very surreal. You see it in films and in the news, but you don’t really think it’s going to happen to you, so you feel like you’re seeing yourself from the outside, and everything happens both fast and in slow motion.
“There was fear when we evacuated. We turned off the gas supply, closed windows and shutters and all doors.
“I couldn’t help thinking that maybe this was the last time I would see my house. I was thinking of everything of sentimental value, especially precious photos of my late parents.
“I picked up three or four small objects connected to my mum at the last minute. I didn’t really think of expensive belongings, but just those that connected me with my loved ones.
“We left our house in the car at 1.45am. Lots of cars were coming out of private driveways, there was no sense of panic. The flames were still 14km away, and we trusted everything would be done to stop them from reaching the suburbs of Bordeaux.”
This latest spell of heatwave threshold-level temperatures is expected to peak in the south-east and east of England this week. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned the rising temperatures could increase health risks, particularly for vulnerable groups. It has issued amber heat health alerts.
The heatwave will not be felt in all parts of the country, with clouds and outbreaks of rain continuing in Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England. The hot weather will be focused on central, southern and eastern England on Tuesday thought it may spread slightly northwards and westwards into midweek.
Temperatures in England and Wales are forecast to rise to around 25-32C this week. They are expected to reach 30-35C across the Midlands, southern and eastern England.