France and Spain wildfire witnesses describe 'wall of flames', fear and stress
Local and visitors tell the BBC of disbelief and anxiety as wildfires force more than 300,000 people to evacuate.
Coverage by Political Leaning
See how different sides of the spectrum reported this story
Notable Quotes
"anxious and fearful"
— Pierre Pourquery , Other
"over the weekend the city was engulfed in smoke with the sun disappearing behind"
— Chris De Abreu , Other
"Everyone came here on Thursday night. People had nowhere to go."
— Rachel Hanberry , Other
"A wall of orange flames came roaring up over the hill."
— Jo Barnes , Other
"Everyone had to get out of the village quickly, it was a critical situation and people were scared."
— Olga Congacha , Other
"I've seen major fires, but on television. Nothing like this, here and now."
— Ricardo Pozo , Other
"You can't go out to work, you can't go about your daily life."
— Maria Garcia , Other
"The whole town got consumed by smoke."
— James Hillier , Other
"It still had a really strong smell of smoke everywhere."
— Sarah , Other
Key People
A resident of Bordeaux who reported on the smoke engulfing the city.
A visitor in Lacanau who reported on the smoke and ash there.
A resident of Cotignac who evacuated her home during the wildfire.
A resident of Betxí in the Castellón province affected by the fires.
A resident in the central Madrid region affected by the wildfires.
A resident of Bordeaux describing the wildfire situation.
A resident of Biscarrosse Plage who provided shelter to evacuees.
A resident in the Castellón province who experienced intense wildfires.
Sarah is the partner of Zack Schofield.
All Coverage
Local and visitors tell the BBC of disbelief and anxiety as wildfires force more than 300,000 people to evacuate.
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