More than 250,000 evacuated as wildfires rage in France and Spain

A British couple holidaying in Bordeaux said they noticed the flames get worse on Friday night, as the fire approached.

“At about seven o’clock you could smell smoke. We thought someone was having a barbecue,” Maisie told BBC Newsbeat from their holiday rental.

Her partner, Caleb, said the ash has now covered the pool in the house and turned their feet black when walking outside.

The smoke “really hits your lungs right away”, they added.

Nearby, in Saint-Aubin-de-Médoc, residents evacuating said the situation was “stressful”, with one local describing it a “disaster”.

The final leg of the Tour de France, due to take place Sunday, has been shortened from 133km (83 miles) to 89km (55 miles) so that security forces can be redeployed to areas affected by wildfires, organisers and police have said.

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to have an emergency meeting with ministers as 30 or so fires rage across the country – a situation which the government said is totally unprecedented.