FRENCH authorities ordered the evacuation of the entire Cap Ferret peninsula (Lege-Cap Ferret) in the south-west of France today as a wildfire continued to rage.

This comes as around 700 firefighters battled the blaze that has raged in the Gironde region since Tuesday.

Around 20,000 people were evacuated from towns and vacation resorts along the French Atlantic coast on Thursday.

This included more than 10,000 people, including tourists staying at holiday camps and campgrounds, who were moved to safety, along with more than 1,000 residents living in residential areas along the forest edge.

Two firefighters died on Tuesday while attempting to tackle the blaze near Bordeaux’s airport with officials saying today morning that no new injuries had been reported.

On Thursday night French President Emmanuel Macron said the wildfire situation in the country is “very tense.”

Mr Macron said he had called for help from across the European Union and assistance had already been promised by Croatia, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Meanwhile, the government in Spain has declared its own national emergency as wildfires burn out of control in several areas close to the capital Madrid.

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said a national emergency had been declared as fires burned at Villa del Prado and San Martin de Valdeiglesias in the Madrid region and at Burgohondo in Avila.

Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, making southern Europe more vulnerable to wildfires.

Following a succession of heat waves that started even before the summer, wildfires have raged across the region, devastating large swathes of land amid record temperatures and dry weather.

Plants and vegetation are under severe water stress, adding to the danger of fires.

According to French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, more than 12,500 wildfires have broken out since the beginning of the year.