Fleeing a wall of flames: Tourists describe France wildfires escape

Families visiting France from the UK and elsewhere have told the BBC how their holidays have become evacuation missions.

More than 250,000 people flee wildfires in France and Spain

Hundreds of firefighters battle blazes as strong winds drive fires towards Bordeaux and smoke prompts health warnings in Madrid Unrestrained wildfires in Spain and France have forced more than 250,000 people to flee, authorities from both countries have said, as they struggle to contain the blazes. About 70,000 people were evacuated from central Spain, while 197,000 people fled in France, including tens of thousands from the wine region city of Bordeaux. Continue reading...

By William Christou

Tour de France final stage shortened due to wildfires

Security personnel assigned to the race have been redeployed to help contain major blazes near Bordeaux, reducing Sunday's final stage.

Watch live: Military plane tackles ‘apocalyptic’ wildfires across France

Watch live as a military plane is deployed to tackle the “apocalyptic” wildfires across France on Saturday (25 July).

By Lucy Leeson

Over 250,000 People Flee Wildfires Ravaging France and Spain

Authorities ordered the immediate evacuation of some western suburbs of Bordeaux, a city in southwestern France famed for its wines

By Bloomberg News

Wildfires: Final Tour de France stage shortened

Sunday's final stage of the Tour de France has been shortened to 89 kilometres and will be effectively limited to Paris because emergency services are needed to deal with wildfires in the country. Organizers said on Saturday that the stage will have 44 kilometres less than the originally planned 133km from Thiory to the Champs-Élysées in the capital, with the finish on the famous avenue now also the start.

French PM orders deployment of A400M military transport plane to help battle fires

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has ordered the armed forces to deploy an A400M military transport aircraft as early as Saturday to help combat fires raging in the southwest, his office said.

By RFI

Tour de France finale shortened as security forces redeploy to fight wildfires

Fleeing a wall of flames: Tourists describe France wildfires escape

Tourists told the BBC of emergency alerts in the middle of the night, desperate drives just metres from six-storey high flames and the sight of people flocking to beaches with their suitcases.

By Emmanuel Tetteh