Around 800 firefighters have been fighting the flames some 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Bordeaux. Hundreds of gendarmes and soldiers have also joined the operation, while firefighting planes have been dumping water since the blaze erupted Wednesday. Officials and residents said the fire appeared to have been started by a brush-clearing machine.John Wilmes, who has been renting a house in Lege-Cap-Ferret, said: "It feels like being in a war zone."The fire began in the village of Saumos, before spreading to Le Porge and then advancing toward Lege-Cap-Ferret. Known for its sand dunes, cycle paths and oyster shacks, Lege is popular with French stars.The blaze advanced rapidly through a dense pine forest, with flames soaring to 10 metres (33 feet) in some places. It has ripped through 3,400 hectares (8,500 acres), an area about five times the size of Gibraltar, firefighters said. Three houses were scorched by the flames and a caravan destroyed, but no casualties have been reported so far.The European Union deployed three water-bombing aircraft from other countries after France sought help, EU officials said.France has been battered by three heatwaves since May as part of increasingly common extreme weather episodes linked to climate change, causing thousands of excess deaths, drying up rivers and fuelling wildfires.Lege mayor Philippe de Gonneville said "the weather is not on our side"."We have temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, with winds that have shifted to the east and northeast and are fairly strong."The blaze was now contained north of Lege, according to officials.'A bit scary'Authorities said they had evacuated 12,000 residents and tourists from campsites, holiday lets and homes on Wednesday, then a further 8,800 from camp sites on Thursday. About 15 emergency reception centers have been opened.Wisps of smoke rose from charred or crackling tree trunks between Le Porge and the village of Lege-Cap-Ferret to the south.Helicopters flew over houses with shuttered windows while fire engines tore up and down the road.Patrick Martineau, 69, was among hundreds of people living on the edge of the forest who had to leave quickly.