‘I can taste smoke’: On the frontlines of France’s wildfire crisis as thousands forced to flee homes

As raging wildfires continue to consume parts of France, local communities have mobilised to minimise the destruction.

Around 4,000 people have been ordered to evacuate campsites in the Lacanau Ocean area ahead of an impending heatwave. More than 360,000 people have been evacuated across France and Spain in total.

In Lacanau, just over 50km away from Bordeaux, The Independent reporter James C. Reynolds spoke to local volunteers who are working tirelessly - from helping firefighters put sand down to stop the fire spreading, to feeding animals whose homes have been destroyed.