The mayor of Bordeaux is currently refusing to evacuate the city despite fears that the fire at its doorstep is far from being controlled and could sweep towards its 1.3 million residents
Firefighters are battling the blaze near Bordeaux(Image: SDIS33 – Caporal-chef Damien Rembert/AFP via Getty Images)
Terrifying and deadly fires are heading towards the French city of Bordeaux as hundreds of thousands face emergency evacuation to avoid the brutal blaze.
The inferno, the cause of which is yet to be confirmed, has been described as “erratic and unmanageable” by firefighters and has already seen around 220,000 people evacuated from the surrounding area, with 55,000 required to flee their homes last night and this morning alone.
And now, to make matters even worse, the terrifying fire appears to be hurtling towards the bustling city of Bordeaux itself, which is home to around 1.3 million people and countless historical buildings and artworks too.
Firefighters are warning that the blaze is not under control (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
According to city mayor Thomas Cazenave, “the fire is between 25 and 30 kilometres from Bordeaux and about 15 kilometres from the wider metropolitan area.”
However, the mayor is adamant that he has no plans to evacuate the city, despite the fact that the blaze is moving closer and closer every day.
He stated: “The people of Bordeaux are not preparing to evacuate; we are not concerned by the current evacuation plan… It is not on the agenda, even though we will be ready to deal with any eventuality.”
Firefighters are struggling to cope with the inferno, which has seen more than 200,000 evacuated(Image: Astrid Lagougne/EPA/Shutterstock)
However, despite the mayor’s assurances, many experts are worried about the possibility of the fire, which has already killed two firefighters, wreaking havoc on the city.
According to the head of the French firefighters’ union: “The firefighters are overwhelmed. When there’s a fire of this magnitude, it creates its own weather. It’s difficult to control. When you see a fire front stretching for more than 20 kilometres, I think we can now be concerned about Bordeaux.”
Nicolas Braz, one of the leading firefighters battling the blaze, said that it had created “its own winds – complete with whirlwinds”, describing it as “erratic and unmanageable”.
Bordeaux has a population of around 1.3 million
A team of tractor-driving farmers have even joined in the battle with the fire, with pictures emerging of tens of agricultural workers helping to transport equipment including water tankers.
The fire has also impacted worldwide travel, with 28 EasyJet flights alone cancelled or delayed, including five departing from UK airports. A statement from Bordeaux airport said that “all commercial flights” are likely to be impacted by the blaze, stating: “Air traffic control restrictions have been put in place to facilitate the work of the emergency services.”
The Tour de France’s final stage was shortened by 44km on Sunday to free up police and security forces for the massive wildfire response.
