BRIT tourists were forced to flee their hotels in the middle of the night as raging wildfires ripping through Europe have driven 220,000 away from their homes.
are sweeping , with Emmanuel Macron mobilising more than 1,000 French soldiers to aid fire crews.
Firefighters have struggled to control a series of raging infernos across southern Europe Credit: AFP via Getty Images
Major forest fires in France have sent smoke billowing towards Bordeaux and forced holidaymakers from their hotels Credit: EPA
More than 220,000 residents have fled their homes Credit: Reuters
Locals have joined in the efforts to stop the spread of the blazes Credit: Getty Images
Holidaymakers staying at a Holiday Inn near Bordeaux Airport were woken up at 3.30am and told that approaching smoke was forcing the hotel to close.
peninsula have sent towers of smoke billowing across the region.
Among those evacuated were several Brits, including Martin and Nicola Smith from Jersey, who are holidaying with daughter Erin, 20, two-year-old granddaughter Arabella and six other relatives.
Nicola, 49, told the Daily Mail : “We were all fast asleep when a member of hotel staff knocked on the door about 3.30am and said that we were having to evacuate.
“It was a shock to the system and quite dramatic but I’d been getting alerts on my phone all night by the local French authorities warning about other areas nearby being evacuated.”
Have you been caught up in wildfires in France, Spain or elsewhere in Europe? Email joseph.mannion@the-sun.co.uk or WhatsApp 07353 096414 to share your story
Martin, 55, added: “It’s not great to be honest but what can you do?
“Apparently everywhere is being evacuated because of all the smoke drifting across to Bordeaux from the fire.
Beachgoers watch as a massive wildfire takes hold of a French holiday hotspot Credit: AFP via Getty Images
Tourists have been forced to flee a popular upmarket area of France Credit: AFP
Fire crews have flooded the region as they battle the blaze that has scorched nearly 10,000 hectares Credit: Reuters
The growing crisis has led President Emmanuel Macron to appeal to the EU for help Credit: AFP
“I must admit you could really smell the smoke when we first arrived, there was a kind of haze in the air.”
A major fire near is meanwhile “at its peak” and , according to local emergency management chief Carlos Novillo.
He told the BBC: “It is not possible to attack the fire in that area, so defensive measures are being taken.”
More than 25,000 people were forced to flee their homes as the city’s president Isabel Díaz Ayusohas said the inferno was “the worst fire in the history of the region”.
Another 20,000 Spanish residents are in complete lockdown, Madrid officials said.
Díaz Ayusohas called the situation “catastrophic”, as residents in the capital were warned to stay inside their home and avoid going out unless absolutely necessary.
Two of three major wildfires to the city’s west have now merged, threatening a suburban town.
And an official warned there is “little time left” before a major fire covering 6,000 hectares merges with another 9,000-hectare blaze.
Dramatic footage shows horses running for their lives
Emergency services have been scrambled to try and contain the blaze in France Credit: AFP via Getty Images
Spain has declared a state of emergency after one of its worst seasons in decades Credit: AP
Fire crews battling ‘the largest wildfire of the year’ near Madrid Credit: AFP
Dramatic footage showed kicking down doors to rescue residents before the blaze consumed their homes.
has , with more than 100,000 hectares – roughly the size of Berlin or Hong Kong – being scorched so far this year.
The country has faced one of its deadliest wildfire seasons in decades after in the southern province of Almeria.
Seven Brits – – died in the blaze that consumed 7,000 hectares of land.
Sweltering temperatures brought by repeated heatwaves have exacerbated across the continent’s south.
Cap Ferret, which is often likened to the Hamptons area of Long Island, has been burning since Wednesday.
Brit tourists were warned to “” as a monster wildfire engulfed the resort and massive explosions sent horses bolting along the only road off the peninsula.
France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said more than 14,000 hectares have been claimed by the blaze, while around 50 firefighters were injured yesterday alone.
He told French broadcaster TF1: “We have never seen a convective fire of this magnitude.”
The fire is “self-sustaining” and changes direction, he said – and it is tearing towards Bordeaux, where the airport has been shut.
BBC journalist Joanna Kent, who was on holiday at a Cap Ferret campsite with her family, said they were given just 30 minutes to evacuate.
She said on Instagram: “We saw the smoke about four o’clock (on Wednesday) cycling back from the Cap Ferret Peninsula. There was ash in the air.
“Now the smoke has definitely got thicker this morning. We’ve been wondering all morning if we were going to be evacuated or not.
“In the last ten minutes, the police have come round and they told us that we’ve got 30 minutes to get out.
“So now there’s a bit of a scramble with everyone here just packing up their cars and making a dash for it.”
Terrified tourists could be seen boarding boats yesterday as they tried to escape the fire.
Resident Patrick Martineau, 69, said: “The gendarmes came and knocked on every door, the fire was about 500 metres away – we grabbed some things and left.”
Shocking footage also showed several cars racing to the mainland to get away from the approaching inferno.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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