Firefighters are battling to control a huge wildfire in France that has forced at least 10,000 people to evacuate their homes.
More than 1,000 firefighters are tackling the Landiras fire in the south-western Gironde region that has scorched 17,000 acres of forest.
“It’s an ogre, it’s a monster,” Gregory Allione from the French firefighters body FNSPF told RTL radio.
Temperatures in Gironde reached almost 40C on Thursday and will stay high until the weekend, as officials warned of an “explosive cocktail” of wind and tinderbox dryness.
More than 16 houses have burnt down.
Gérald Darmanin, the interior minister, said nine water bombing planes and two helicopters were being used in an attempt to contain the blazes in the south.
Sweden and Italy have offered help after France appealed to the EU.
President Emmanuel Macron added that Germany, Greece, Poland, Romania and Austria are also providing assistance.
