Bordeaux, home to 260,000 residents, faces no immediate danger according to local authorities.

Yet Commander Rémi Lassoureille, who directs firefighting operations across the Gironde, remains concerned about the western flank of the blaze.

"We fear the consequences for Bordeaux and its surrounding urban zone," he stated.

One active fire on Monday stood 15km from the city edge, where air quality has worsened sharply over recent days.

"By Sunday evening the area had largely emptied," an Essex visitor told the BBC, noting the air felt "thick with smoke" and carried floating ash. "Residents remained inside, creating an unsettling quiet."

Most locals and visitors wore masks while the scent of smoke lingered on clothing for days, she observed.

A firefighter received applause while crossing the Marché Chartrons square, where eateries shut their doors due to airborne ash, she noted.

"The city feels unusually still," said Graham White, head of the Bordeaux British Community. "Shops, restaurants and cafes sit largely empty. On Sunday some still ventured onto terraces despite the lingering smoke."

White, a long-term resident, described the episode as unprecedented and significant.

Some reports had likened the scene to the Great Fire of London, yet that comparison does not hold, he added.

President Emmanuel Macron, after touring the affected Gironde zone on Monday, called the wildfire "entirely unprecedented" and "the most severe since World War Two."

Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said officials are monitoring air pollution closely and advised residents in impacted zones to remain indoors.

On Tuesday morning the Gironde prefect issued fresh evacuation orders for coastal campsites near Lacanau, while nearby town residents were told to ready themselves for possible sudden departure.

The 4,000 tourists now leaving join the 220,000 people already displaced across France in recent days.

Officials report roughly 240 homes destroyed so far.

By Tuesday midday crews were responding to renewed flare-ups across multiple sites.

A 23-year-old man was detained in the Var region on suspicion of igniting a fire and could face 15 years in prison.

Peggy Plouhinec of Château Picque Caillou told the BBC the estate closed over the weekend due to smoke but noted improvement after Sunday rain.

Although vineyards escaped direct threat, tourists have avoided the area. "The hospitality sector will feel the effects this summer," she said. "The situation is unprecedented, and while we have been relatively spared, reduced visitor numbers will still hurt."

"Many others have lost homes or businesses, and firefighters have worked tirelessly for weeks," she added.

A Cap Ferret resident, evacuated late last week, told French media his priority now lies with the forested peninsula rather than the inland city.

"Everyone focuses on protecting Bordeaux, yet it is mostly concrete. Concrete does not burn," he remarked. "Here only trees stand, and seeing them destroyed is a true disaster."