Holidaymakers have described how tranquil breaks in southwest France turned into chaotic evacuations as huge wildfires swept through pine forests and coastal towns. More than 220,000 people have been displaced across parts of France and central Spain as flames spread, the French military was deployed to help, and Spanish authorities declared a national emergency. Strong winds and persistent heat continue to drive the fires, and some visitors reported smelling acrid smoke many miles from the blazes.
Several tourists told the BBC about receiving emergency alerts in the night, driving past walls of flame and seeing people gathering on beaches with luggage after being forced from their accommodation. Flights to nearby hubs such as Bordeaux and Madrid were, at the time of reporting, still operating, and French officials urged visitors not to cancel travel plans where it was safe to continue.
Zac Morrison, 21, arrived on the Cap Ferret peninsula — a pine-covered strip southwest of Bordeaux — with his extended family and woke to evacuation messages at 04:00 and 06:00 telling them to leave “by all means necessary.” He described gendarmes going door to door and said the family moved repeatedly as fires shifted, receiving multiple official alerts. They sheltered temporarily on a beach in Arcachon before a relative offered accommodation. Zac said people had been sleeping in schools and warehouses and that beaches were crowded with people and suitcases waiting for clearance to leave.
Another family, led by headteacher David Morton, said they were packed and driving within 15 minutes of an urgent evacuation message. They came within about 500 metres of huge flames, which he estimated reached the height of five- or six-storey buildings. The Mortons stayed with friends until their flight home from Bordeaux.
Some residents and holiday homeowners reported different experiences. Rebecca Papin, a French-American in Biscarrosse, saw a distant plume of smoke that later became a visible wall of flames. She described water-dropping planes and helicopters in the sky and ash falling “like snow,” yet said no evacuation order was given in her area. Police later advised her to remain indoors as main roads became impassable.
Other British families relocated to continue their holidays elsewhere in France. Mark Dorey, evacuated from a campsite, spent a night in a gymnasium shelter with hundreds of other evacuees before heading to the Dordogne with his family. Many evacuees have been accommodated in makeshift shelters such as schools and sports halls.
Authorities warn that conditions remain dangerous while temperatures stay high and winds persist. Officials in Paris stressed that large parts of France are not affected and encouraged tourists to seek local advice rather than automatically cancelling travel. In Madrid and its surrounding region, authorities said they were battling multiple fires and trying to prevent separate fronts from joining; Madrid’s regional president called the blaze one of the worst in the region’s history. The fires have already forced the temporary closure of a NASA facility about 65 miles (roughly 105 km) west of the city.
Emergency services from several countries have been mobilised, and military units are assisting firefighting and evacuation efforts. Local communities and visitors alike reported a surreal scene of beaches, car parks and evacuation centres filled with people and luggage as crews worked to get people to safety.
Officials urged anyone in affected areas to follow local emergency instructions, keep informed about changing conditions, and, if relocating, to take only essential belongings and drive carefully as roads may be congested or closed. While some tourists continued their breaks in safer parts of the country, others said the experience had shaken them and would affect future holiday choices.
(Reporting also included contributions from several regional correspondents.)
