Chris De Abreu, who is from Kent but works in France and has a flat in Bordeaux, described how “over the weekend the city was engulfed in smoke with the sun disappearing behind”, with an “orange-like filter” over the city.

Though De Abreu said he is less concerned about his flat which lies on the other side of the river, he “can see a number of people worried about what is to come”.

Elsewhere, Rachel Hanberry told BBC Radio 5 Live that her beachfront home in Biscarrosse Plage, which lies about 63km (40 miles) from Bordeaux, is located next to the town’s evacuation point.

“Everyone came here on Thursday night,” she said. “People had nowhere to go. We offered our home to people.”

The community there has “lost so much”, she added. “The stress and trauma that you feel as someone living here is immense.”

About 700km away, in Cotignac in the south-east of France, Jo Barnes and her family returned to their home on Saturday, having evacuated for four days after a fire rapidly moved towards their property.

“A wall of orange flames came roaring up over the hill,” Barnes said. “On Friday afternoon, the fire came back to our area… within 10 metres of the back of our house, we have a gas tank here, it was all very dramatic.”

Though the surrounding hillside was blackened and charred, the town of Cotignac was undamaged and the Barnes’ family home left intact.