Hundreds of tourists have been evacuated by boat from the Cap Ferret peninsula in south-west France as a wildfire continues to rage. An evacuation order was issued for the entire area, with people told to leave via the main road towards Bordeaux or take boats from four piers between 7am and 10am local time. Boats have taken more than 400 people from Cap Ferret, which stretches along France's Atlantic coast west of Bordeaux.
Evacuation numbers rise
Sophie Brocas, the region's prefect, said the 'final phase' of the evacuation began early on Friday morning. She said 10,000 visitors were evacuated overnight Wednesday, bringing the total to 20,000, according to the Express.
Firefighters killed
The wildfire has been burning in the Gironde region since Tuesday, starting in Saumous and tearing through 8,700 hectares overnight. It is now near the Arcachon Bay area, a tourist hotspot with many campsites. Two firefighters were killed while tackling the blaze near Bordeaux Airport on Tuesday, though officials said there have been no new injuries as of Friday.
International help sought
French President Emmanuel Macron called the situation 'very tense' and asked for help from the European Union. He said aircraft from Croatia, Portugal, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia will soon be mobilised to support the country. Gironde fire service chief Marc Vermeulen warned that rising temperatures and strong winds could worsen the situation. He said Thursday: 'The work was relentless all night. It'll peak at 8pm. Then we'll have to deal with... highly variable winds so we're currently tackling a fire that is going to be difficult to predict and that's why we cannot relax our guard.'
