Fleeing a wall of flames: Tourists describe France wildfires escape

Image source, AFP via Getty Images Image caption, Holidaymakers, seen here on Friday, have been arriving in Arcachon by boat after being evacuated from the Cap Ferret peninsula in south-west France By Ewan Somerville Published 9 minutes ago Families have relived how their tranquil holidays in France turned into a race to escape raging wildfires. 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. Huge forest fires in south-west France and central Spain have displaced more than 220,000 people, with the French military drafted in to help and the Spanish government declaring a national emergency. Winds and continued heat are still helping to fan the flames with some tourists reporting smelling acrid smoke like a "bonfire" far outside the affected areas. Flights to Bordeaux and Madrid, the closest cities to the blaze-hit regions, are currently not affected. Earlier on Saturday, a French foreign minister described the fires as a "tragedy" but urged tourists not to cancel their travel plans. Among those caught up in the crisis is Zac Morrison, who arrived in Cap Ferret - a popular peninsula blanketed with pine trees 40 miles (65km) south-west of Bordeaux - on Thursday. The 21-year-old from London, who is on holiday with 10 members of his family, woke up to two text alerts at 4am and 6am ordering him to evacuate "by all means necessary". Image source, Andrea Gretton Image caption, A family showed the BBC how clouds of smoke descended on their campsite in Biscarrosse, south-west France "We had the gendarmerie [French military] going door to door," he told BBC Your Voice. "It was something like out of a movie - we had to take everything." Since experiencing "panic" before a "well organised" operation to clear out the entire peninsula, he said he received four different evacuation alerts from the authorities - the most recent at 5pm on Friday - after "we moved away from one fire to only get put into the crosshairs of another". His family took shelter on a beach in nearby Arcachon before a relative came to their aid with a place to stay. His brother Nate, 11, is still coming to terms with having seen the flames. "Other people have been sleeping in schools and warehouses and the beaches have had people just waiting for the go ahead," Morrison added. "There's people on the beach here with their suitcases." He said the family was awaiting instructions on whether they can continue their holiday until mid August. "It rained last night but we are hearing that electricity may be cut out over the peninsula, especially as the ash clouds go towards Bordeaux... I've heard about houses burning in just an hour, it's scary but sadly people here are getting used to it." Family fled in 15 minutes Image source, AFP via Getty Images Image caption, The wildfire on Moutchic beach on the shore of Lake Lacanau David Morton had enjoyed most