France Wildfires Near Bordeaux as Europe Battles Heatwave

French President Emmanuel Macron will hold a crisis cabinet meeting on Monday as massive wildfires continue to spread towards the south-western city of Bordeaux.

The fire is now around 15 kilometres (9 miles) from Bordeaux, according to Mayor Thomas Cazenave. He said earlier that there were no plans to evacuate the city's population of about 850,000 people, although authorities remain on high alert.

The situation is expected to become even more difficult as another heatwave is forecast to hit France, with temperatures in some areas expected to reach 40°C from Tuesday.

Wildfires Continue to Spread Across France

Wildfires have burned across several parts of Europe over the past week, with France and Spain facing the worst damage. More than 330,000 people have already been evacuated across the two countries.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday that France would rebuild after the disaster and assured affected communities that the government would remain present "for as long as is needed."

In the Bordeaux region, tens of thousands of residents have already left their homes. France's Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the situation as "very unfavourable," saying the wildfire was moving unpredictably towards the city.

Fire Creates Rare Fire Thunderstorm

France's largest wildfire, burning in the Gironde region, has created an unprecedented "pyrocumulonimbus" cloud—a massive fire-generated thunderstorm fuelled by its own winds and lightning, according to the National Firefighters Federation of France (FNSPF).

FNSPF spokesperson Eric Brocardi said firefighters are facing an extremely difficult battle. "We don't know how the blaze will spread, the fire front is constantly shifting. We cannot fight it directly."

He described the situation as "a David-versus-Goliath scenario."

Brocardi added that bringing the fire under control would require either heavy rainfall for three consecutive days or firefighters successfully guiding the flames towards an area where they could naturally burn out, such as the sea.

Thousands Evacuated as Fires Burn Vast Areas

The wildfires have caused extensive destruction in France.

Around 42,000 hectares have been burned in the country's south-west, making it one of the largest forest fires since World War Two. Since the beginning of the year, approximately 98,000 hectares have been scorched nationwide.

More than 220,000 people have been evacuated from south-west France as emergency crews continue efforts to contain the fires.

Spain Battles New Wildfires Near Valencia

Spain is also facing rapidly spreading wildfires.

Firefighters spent Sunday tackling a new blaze near the eastern coastal city of Valencia, where around 15,000 people have been forced to leave their homes.

Pilar Bernabe, the Spanish central government's delegate to Valencia, said the fire had been "very intense" and warned that weather conditions were expected to worsen.

Spain's Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the fires were advancing slowly, while Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, during a visit to the affected area in Ávila province west of Madrid, warned that "difficult hours lie ahead."

Sanchez also called for "a major public pact on the climate emergency."

King Felipe VI Visits Fire Victims

Spain's King Felipe VI visited an emergency shelter in Villamanta, south-west of Madrid, where he said the wildfires had caused "incalculable" damage to the country's natural heritage.

According to Spain's Minister for Ecological Transition, Sara Aagesen, around 77,000 hectares have been affected by wildfires across the country. She also said the fire burning in the Ávila region is the largest in Spain's recent history.

Residents Describe Panic During Evacuations

Among those forced to leave was 50-year-old Olga Congacha, who evacuated her village of Robledo de Chavela, west of Madrid.

She said she felt "panicked" after being told to leave her home. "I didn't know whether to cry or what. It was a moment when you feel awful."

Congacha briefly returned home on Sunday to collect medicine and found empty streets with her house covered in ash.

Authorities said changing winds were pushing the fires near Madrid towards the south and away from the capital. However, additional villages have still been evacuated as the fires continue to spread.

More than 90,000 people have now been evacuated from the regions surrounding Madrid and Ávila.