Firefighters battle wildfire as tens of thousands evacuated near Bordeaux

This video can not be played Watch: Firefighters tackle wildfires in Ares and aerial footage shows destruction in Le Porge Firefighters are battling to contain wildfires burning near the city of Bordeaux as tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from the surrounding region. France's Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the situation in the region remained "very unfavourable" and the fire was "moving erratically towards" Bordeaux, though officials downplayed the possibility of evacuation. Overnight into Sunday, about 55,000 people were evacuated from villages to the south of the city in the Gironde region, famed for its vineyards. Wildfires have raged across Europe over the past week, primarily in France and Spain, where more than 330,000 people have been evacuated. France has been one of worst affected regions, with an area of 42,000 hectares burnt in the south-west, making it one of the largest forest fires since World War Two. About 115,000 hectares have burnt across the country since the start of the year, Nuñez told French media on Sunday. In total, more than 220,000 people have been evacuated in the south-west of the country. Captain Nicolas Braz, one of the leaders of the firefighting operation, said the fire had created "its own winds - complete with whirlwinds", adding it was "erratic and unmanageable". Residents in Le Porge, one of the coastal towns hit , have set up an improvised volunteer network to support exhausted firefighters, cooking them meals and offering a place to rest in between shifts. "I think many of them have never experienced a fire of this magnitude before," volunteer Nathalie Augonnet said. More than 150 houses have been destroyed in the town of 3,500 inhabitants. Several houses in Le Porge, in the Gironde region, have been destroyed by a fire "I'm a little devastated for this beautiful town, for its forests, its wildlife and for the people who have lost so much," Augonnet said. "Right now, we're focused on taking action, so we don't really have time to think. I think the difficult part will come afterwards, during the reconstruction." Meanwhile in Spain, fires continue to spread, with more than 90,000 evacuated from the regions around Madrid and Ávila. Around 77,000 hectares have been affected , minister for ecological transition, Sara Aagesen, said on Sunday. She added that the wildfire burning in the Ávila region is the largest in the country's recent history. Among the residents evacuating surrounding areas is Olga Congacha, 50, who had to flee her village of Robledo de Chavela west of Madrid in a haste.