Forecasters warn of 'heat apocalypse' as thousands flee wildfires

Extreme heatwave brought temperatures of over 40C to southern Europe before sweeping northwards

- Jon Henley and Sam Jones

MADRID eteorologists warned of a "heat apocalypse" in western France as several thousand more people fled their homes to escape a large wildfire sparked by a southern European heatwave that has already caused hundreds of deaths.

Nearly 25,000 people have been forced to abandon homes and holiday accommodation for emergency shelters in the Gironde département west of Bordeaux, with blazes in Spain, Portugal and Greece forcing thousands more to flee.

Temperatures across southern Europe showed some sign of abating on Monday as the heatwave, during which temperatures have surpassed 40C across much of the region, moved north, including towards Britain, which was set for its hottest day ever.

"It never stops. In 30 years of firefighting I have never seen a fire like this," said David Brunner, one of 1,500 firefighters battling to control the Gironde blaze, which has destroyed 14,000 hectares of pine forest near the Dune de Pilat, Europe's highest sand dune and a summer tourism hotspot, since last Tuesday.

"We're climate change refugees," Théo Dayan, 26, told Le Monde after fleeing his home near the village of La Teste-de-Buch.