Lieutenant Colonel Eric Brocardi recalls dramatic images from wildfires in Canada and Australia last year, saying that a similar phenomenon is happening in France.

The phenomenon in question is the appearance of fire clouds, or "pyrocumulonimbus", which he describes as clouds with their own climate, doesn't follow the normal behaviour of a fire without these clouds.

Brocardi says firefighting teams have had to change their techniques and strategy in light of this phenomenon.

Remi Lassoureille, who leads the forest fire efforts in Gironde, says an area of around 42,000 hectares has been burnt in the past five or six days but that has not significantly increased overnight.

He says so far about 240 homes and houses have been destroyed.

Lassoureille adds that more than 2,000 firefighters are tackling the fire and there has been aerial support from other European countries.

He adds that firefighters have made large fire breaks at the edges of the fire to try and stop it impacting Bordeaux.

(Source: BBC)