Firefighters in France and Spain were battling to contain the worst wildfires in living memory before the arrival of a fourth heatwave of the summer brings scorching temperatures.Flames have torn through vast swathes of forest in both countries, incinerating properties and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.In a sign of progress, Spain's interior ministry said it would end evacuation orders for 13 municipalities on Tuesday afternoon, without providing details of how many people were covered.But in France, Marielle Mourgeon was among 4,000 people forced to cut holidays short in the seaside village of Lacanau, near Bordeaux, after authorities ordered camping sites evacuates as a precaution."At first I thought my husband was joking, with the blue sky and the fires dying down," she said.
Firefighters in France said they were going on the offensive, even as they admitted they were tired © Ed JONES / AFP
Conditions are set to worsen as a fresh heatwave hits western Europe this week -- with oven-like temperatures returning in France from Tuesday and Spain from Wednesday, according to meteorologists.French firefighters were "on the offensive" insisted commander Eric Pitault, standing in the middle of a 50-metre-wide, 25-kilometre-long firebreak cut with the help of civilian volunteers on the Cap Ferret peninsula.Light at tunnel's endOver the past six days, the largest French wildfire since 1949 has raged west of Bordeaux, forcing more than 220,000 people to flee and destroying 240 houses.The prefect's office said that, while there were flare-ups overnight, these were under control and the burnt area had not increased.In Spain, the worst of the fires have been west of the capital Madrid. Despite the looming heatwave, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez declared that "we are indeed turning the tide, and we can begin to see light at the end of the tunnel in the fight against these fires".
