France, Spain battle fast-moving wildfires as evacuations top 300,000

Powerful wildfires have forced more than 300,000 people to evacuate across France and Spain as authorities continue efforts to contain major blazes.

Authorities in southwestern France expanded evacuation orders after the fire in the Gironde region, including around Bordeaux, intensified again.

Officials said the blaze generated strong local winds, complicating firefighting operations.

In Spain, authorities also ordered additional evacuations near Toledo, southwest of Madrid, as weather conditions continued to fuel the fire.

The fires have burned for several days despite extensive firefighting operations.

Two French firefighters were killed near Bordeaux earlier this week, while a separate wildfire near Valencia killed one person on Saturday.

In France, authorities initially evacuated about 197,000 people around Bordeaux before allowing around 3,000 to return.

A further 55,000 people were later ordered to leave, taking the total number evacuated from the Gironde region to more than 200,000.