Fears Bordeaux will be reduced to ashes with ‘apocalyptic’ wildfire just 7 miles away as 250k evacuate & tourists banned

RAGING wildfires are closing in on Bordeaux with mass evacuations continuing across France as officials battle the “apocalyptic” flames. The rampant fires are now less than seven miles away from the ancient city with over 850,000 residents being warned Bordeaux is at risk of being reduced to ashes in the coming days. Raging wildfires are closing in on the ancient French city of Bordeaux Credit: Shutterstock Editorial A hazy skyline of Bordeaux shows choking smoke already smothering the city Credit: AFP French firefighters battle a wildfire spreading in Cestas-Pierroton, south-western France Credit: EPA Thick plumes of smoke are already looming over the city as concerns rapidly grow over the “erratic” fire whirlwinds sending the flames east across France. Local official Sophie Brocas has urged holidaymakers to stay away and urged tourists already in the city to pack their bags and make plans to leave. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! She said: “We urge tourists not to come to this region, at least until the situation is under control. I encourage tourists who are already here to consider another destination.” Bordeaux sits in the direct path of the Gironde wildfire which has been scorching huge swathes of land as it continues to grow. Bordeaux sits in the direct path of the Gironde wildfire which has been scorching huge swathes of land as it continues to grow Credit: Getty The fires have left a trail of devastation behind in Le Porge, in south west France Credit: Shutterstock Editorial A firefighter walks through choking thick smoke on a road on the edge of a burning area in Ares near Gironde Credit: AFP People gather at an exhibition centre being used for people displaced by the wildfires, in Bordeaux Credit: AFP Sebastien Berge, head of the Gironde firefighters’ union, has now warned of major concerns for those still in Bordeaux. He said: “When there’s a fire of this magnitude, it creates its own weather pattern… it’s difficult to monitor. “When you see how far it’s spreading, I think we can now be concerned about the city of Bordeaux.” Bordeaux, famed for its wine-making, is the sixth largest city in France based on its entire metropolitan area where over 850,000 people live. Most read in The Sun Mayor Thomas Cazenave has urged that there are currently no plans to evacuate the city’s population as they hope to control the flames in the coming days. Le Barp, a municipality less than 20 miles from Bordeaux, has already been ordered to evacuate immediately via the south. Over 284,000 acres have been burned due to wildfires since the start of the year, according to French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez. He told France 2 television that the country is now battling 30 to 40 wildfires every day. Dozens of homes have been burnt to the ground by the raging wildfires in France Credit: Anadolu via Getty Images The French military has been called in to assist with the response Credit: Reuters President Emmanuel Macron is now due to convene a crisis meeting today with cabinet ministers to discuss the raging wildfires. It comes after Gironde firefighting Chief Eric Brocardi compared the battle to contain the inferno as a “David-versus-Goliath scenario”. Currently, 2,500 firefighters, 1,500 military personnel and around 1,200 police officers have been deployed to the Gironde region. Officials say fire crews have been “overwhelmed” by the ferocity of the flames and remain “far from” bringing them under control. Two people have died due to the wildfires so far with at least 75 injured. Dozens of homes have been burnt to the ground with an estimated 220,000 people displaced and forced to live in shelters while the flames remain high. Gironde authorities have now banned vacationers from entering the region by closing off several main roads and cancelling holiday camps for children and people with disabilities. Some of the blazes in the Gironde wildfire are said to be so powerful they have now created a terrifying giant fire cloud which can create its own lightning. A gendarme covers a small hot spot with soil to prevent any risk of reignition during a patrol, as wildfires rage across the Gironde Credit: Reuters Smoke fills the air over Cestas-Perroton, south-western France Credit: EPA The unprecedented “pyrocumulonimbus” is a dangerous weather system that whips flames around its own winds and can strike and ignite even more fires. Wildfires have also engulfed huge parts of Spain in recent days. A national emergency has been declared as firefighters fight against merging fires outside Madrid. Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez conceded there were “complex times ahead”. Smoke rises from a wildfire progressing in Betxi, Spain Credit: Reuters A road with smoke from a wildfire in Betxi, Spain Credit: Reuters Three huge fires have all merged to the west of the Spanish capital, where around 77,000 people have been evacuated and another 28,000 locked down in their homes. A man, believed to be in his 70s, was found dead in his car by firefighters as they extinguished a blaze in Valencia. The major fire near Madrid was described over the weekend as being “at its peak” and “beyond the capacity” of firefighters to control. Comment now