Man arrested after ‘stealing 44 bottles of fine wine’ from house evacuated during horror wildfires in France

A MAN has been arrested for allegedly breaking into an evacuated house and making off with 44 bottles of fine wine during horror wildfires. More than 220,000 people have been forced to flee their homes as wildfires ravage southwestern France. More than 220,000 people have been forced to flee their homes as wildfires ravage southwestern France Credit: AFP Two huge infernos are ripping towards Bordeaux Credit: EPA Tourists have been warned to stay away or get out of the region if they’ve already arrived Credit: Reuters Authorities are having to step in to stop mass opportunistic break-ins Credit: Reuters Two huge infernos are ripping towards Bordeaux, with tourists warned to stay away or get out of the region if they’ve already arrived. Yet as hundreds of thousands flee their homes, authorities are having to step in to stop mass opportunistic break-ins. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! One man was arrested in Eysines, Gironde on suspicion of burglary. Police said the man was stopped in front of an empty home at around 6.15pm on Saturday. When cops searched his car they found 44 bottles of the finest plonk stowed away inside. The suspect – already known to police – was arrested and taken into custody. The arrest comes as French authorities are ready to evacuate the entire city of Bordeaux – “erratic” fire whirlwinds are sending flames ripping towards its nearly one million residents. French authorities are ready to evacuate the entire city of Bordeaux Credit: AP Fire crews are fighting an ‘erratic’ fire that is whipping up an entire weather system of its own Credit: Reuters Two major wildfires have broken out west of the city and “overwhelmed” firefighters are “far from” bringing the blazes under control. Most read in The Sun Local official Sophie Brocas told holidaymakers to stay away and to pack their bags if they have already arrived. 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.” More than 300,000 people in France and Spain have been forced to flee their homes as fires fuelled by tinder-box conditions and strong winds continue to rage. Firefighters battling the encroaching blaze in the Gironde area are said to be “overwhelmed” as concerns grow about Bordeaux. Head Gironde firefighter Sebastien Berge said: “When there’s a fire of this magnitude, it creates its own weather pattern…it’s difficult to monitor. “Especially when there’s a fire front that stretches for more than 20km (12.5 miles).” Thousands of evacuees in the area have already been forced to bed down in an exhibition hall as they face an anxious wait over the state of their homes. Residents and tourists were forced to flee the holiday hotspot Cap Ferret in their droves on Friday as the inferno took hold. The French military has even been deployed to help battle the blazes. Meanwhile in Spain, where a national emergency has been declared, favourable weather conditions have helped firefighters in their fight against merging fires outside Madrid. But Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez conceded there were “complex times ahead”. A man, believed to be in his 70s, was found dead in his car by firefighters as they extinguished a blaze in Valencia. Comment now