A raging wildfire in southwest France has forced the evacuation of 55,000 more people, bringing the total number of evacuees in the Gironde region alone to 220,000. The flames are creeping ever closer to the city of Bordeaux.

Authorities in Gironde issued overnight evacuation orders on Sunday for five more localities southwest of Bordeaux. Gusting winds fueled the flames overnight, accelerating the spread of the fire, which has been burning out of control since midweek, according to a statement.

The Gironde prefect also ordered the partial closure of a major highway heading southwest from Bordeaux. The city's mayor said the fire “is still at the gates of the metropolitan area,” having advanced to about 15 km (9 miles) from Bordeaux at its closest point.

A second fire burning further south in the Landes region has forced the evacuation of 30,000 people this week, bringing the total number of evacuees from both blazes to more than 250,000.

In neighboring Spain, authorities have evacuated 70,000 people this week due to fires west of Madrid.

Source: www.aljazeera.com