Tourists evacuated from British holiday hotspot as wildfires engulf area

French President Emmanuel Macron said he had requested help from the European Union as the country's battle against wildfires intensifies.

He said: "France has requested the activation of the European Union's civil protection mechanism."

Mr Macron continued: "We will soon be able to count on reinforcements from two Croatian Canadair aircraft, two Portuguese Air Tractor planes, as well as two heavy Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia."

The fire has already devastated 8,700 hectares and is still raging.

Sophie Brocas, the prefect for the Nouvelle Aquitaine region, said that evacuees from the Cap Ferret peninsula could leave from piers in four villages in the area between 7am and 10am local time (5am to 8am GMT).

All those still present in those villages must leave either on the boats or by the only road linking the area with the mainland, she added.

A British tourist in nearby Bordeaux told GB News that he could see the fires from 70km away.

Tom Williams, 26, said: "It was enormous. The locals are particularly worried. One had her fingers crossed it would be over soon.

"I just hope the flights home are not impacted."

The pressure on fire departments in southwestern France has been increased by another wildfire that began on Thursday afternoon near Biscarosse, just 40km south of Cap Ferret.

That fire, which is still not under control, has devastated 2,500 hectares, the prefect for the Landes area, Gilles Clavreul, said in a statement.

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Ms Brocas added: "Winds are blowing and the situation remains highly dynamic and unfavourable."

More than 23,000 people were evacuated from the Biscarosse district, mainly in campsites and homes and a children's summer camp and a residential care home for the elderly were also evacuated.

Across Europe, three heatwaves in succession this season have intensified drought, strained water supplies and left vegetation tinder-dry, helping wildfires scorch more land already this year than the annual average of the past two decades.

The heat has also been blamed for thousands of deaths in Spain, France and Britain.

France has been particularly hard hit, with the intense heat pressuring its capacity to handle the situation.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Thursday evening: "Our security forces are engaged in a genuine battle against the wildfires. The nation stands with you."

Meanwhile, the Spanish government declared a national emergency after a series of wildfires threatened communities near Madrid and in the neighbouring province of Avila, forcing more than 10,000 people to evacuate as firefighters struggled to contain the blazes.

The Interior Ministry in Madrid said the decision was taken because of the simultaneous outbreak of several fires, adverse weather conditions and the need to mobilise extensive resources from different public administrations, increasing the complexity of firefighting and civil protection efforts.

Spain and much of southern Europe face increasingly severe wildfire seasons that scientists have linked to climate change.

Experts say abundant vegetation growth following unusually heavy spring rainfall has dried out in extreme summer heat, creating fuel for rapidly spreading fires.