This summer's fourth heatwave was expected to start by Wednesday, bringing temperatures in the area to 40C. Similar temperatures are expected in Spain. Dozens of communities are still threatened by wildfires that forced more than 70,000 to evacuate their homes over the last week. But Commander Rémi Lassoureille, who is leading the firefighting response in the Gironde region, is still worried. "By Sunday evening everything had really begun to empty out," a holidaymaker from Essex told the BBC, adding that the air was "really smoky" with bits of ash.