WILDFIRES in south-western France have torn through over 1,000 hectares of land and forced the evacuation of residents amid record September temperatures.

Fires that began to rage on Monday caused the evacuation of over 500 people in the Gironde region and a smaller blaze burned near Dax, south of Bordeaux, where temperatures hit 39°C.

Strong winds hampered the efforts of hundreds of firefighters, who struggled to put out the flames throughout the night with little success. The fires have so far remained uncontained.

Two Canadair aircraft specialised in firefighting, which have already seen considerable work over the hot summer months in southern France, have been deployed to help, alongside helicopters and a Dash plane.

On Monday, weather agency Meteo France said it had recorded record temperatures for September, especially in the south-west, due to a heatwave rising up from Morocco, with the mercury hitting 39.1°C in the Landes region.