A family on holiday were woken up by wildfires in the middle of night and forced to shelter on a rocky outcrop in the sea.<br /><br />Dad-of-two Jérémie Gautrelet, 42, was in Tigremt, Algeria, when the group saw embers and and smelled smoke.<br /><br />Wildfire had reached just meters away from the hotel and the family was forced flee, taking only their most important documents and items.<br /><br />Jérémie, his wife Lynda, 46, and their two children, Gabriel, eleven, and Genna, seven, quickly left the hotel and headed to the hotel beach. <br /><br />The family spotted a rocky outcrop a short distance out to sea and decided that this would be the safest place for them to shelter.<br /><br />They were forced to swim the short distance to the outcrop, perching on it for safety from the flames, which were so close they could feel the heat.<br /><br />A harrowing video shows the family sheltering on the rock and the hotel in flames in the background. <br /><br />Countries across the Mediterranean have been hit by wildfires, with at least 34 people killed in Algeria.<br /><br />Jérémie, a police officer from Lons, France, said: "The fire caught us by surprise during the night of July 23rd around five o'clock in the morning.<br /><br />"The flames were just a few meters away from the residence, and there was a lot of smoke, embers, wind, and heat."<br /><br />The family had checked in the hotel the day before and were spending their first night in the hotel. <br /><br />Jérémie said: "We were terrified when we first saw the flames but the will to survive helped us channel our determination.<br /><br />"The children were exemplary – no screams, no tears, no complaints despite the danger, explosions, and toxic smoke."<br /><br />The family used wet t-shirts to cover their faces and protect themselves from the smoke. <br /><br />They also helped other families from the same hotel make it onto the rock and they all sheltered there for two hours, before locals came to their rescue. <br /><br />Jérémie said: "We stayed on the rocks for several hours, enduring the intense heat, burning winds, embers and toxic smoke.<br /><br />"We used t-shirts to protect our children. <br /><br />"After the video, I went to urge people on the terrace of the residence to seek refuge in the sea."<br /><br />After they were rescued, the family was taken to the nearby port of Saket, where they stayed for another two and a half hours before they were seen by doctors.<br /><br />The family was treated for first degree burns on their faces from the heat and smoke from the fires.<br /><br />They also received Ophthalmic care or eye treatment and were put on oxygen. <br /><br />The family were later housed at the Chrea Hotel In Bejaia for three days and flew back home on the 26th.
