‘Apocalyptic’ wildfires are now just nine miles from Bordeaux with next 24 hours ‘crucial’

One British restaurant owner in Bordeaux said the city is ‘full of smoke and ash’.

Lance Attwood,58,who owns Sweeney Todd’s in Bordeaux city centre,said: ‘It’s not really conducive to coming out. The town is full of smoke and ash,so there’s a big drop in business,people are just walking around town in masks.

‘Our biggest concern is people’s safety and the safety of the emergency services.’

Meanwhile,Edward Chisholm,a 38-year-old from the UK,told The Telegraph: ‘My girlfriend and I have been renting a house on Grand Piquey,which is on the northern end of Cap Ferret,for our holiday with our four-year-old son.

‘It was quite an apocalyptic scene – the sky was a burnt colour,and there was ash falling continuously.’