Wildfires rage across southern Europe as temperatures pass 40C

At least three people have died in a scorching heatwave that is fuelling dozens of wildfires across parts of southern Europe, forcing thousands of people from their homes.

Red heat alerts have been issued in parts of Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and the Balkans, warning of significant risks to health as temperatures push above 40C (104F).

Spain’s weather service Aemet said temperatures could reach 44C (111.2F) in Seville and Cordoba, while southern Portugal could also hit 44C.

In Spain, an equestrian centre employee died after suffering severe burns in Tres Cantos, near Madrid, where winds over 70km/h (43mph) drove flames near homes, forcing hundreds to flee.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday that rescue services “are working tirelessly to extinguish the fires”.

“We are at extreme risk of forest fires. Please be very cautious,” he added in a post on X.

In Spain’s north-western region of Castile and Leon, almost 4,000 people were evacuated and more than 30 blazes were reported – with one threatening the Unesco-listed Las Médulas, renowned for its ancient gold mines.

Another 2,000 people were evacuated from hotels and homes near the tourist hotspot of Tarifa in the southern region of Andalusia.

Almost 1,000 soldiers were deployed to battle wildfires around the country, Spain’s national military emergency unit said on Tuesday morning.

In neighbouring Portugal, firefighters battled three large wildfires, with the most serious near Trancoso contained in the centre of the country on Tuesday.

More than 1,300 firefighters and 14 aircraft were deployed, with Morocco sending two planes after Portuguese water bombers broke down, Reuters reported. Authorities warned southern regions could hit 44C, with the temperature not expected to dip below 25C.

One child died of heatstroke in Italy on Monday, where temperatures of 40C are expected to hit later this week. Red heat alerts were in place for at least 10 Italian cities, including Rome, Milan and Florence.

A four-year-old Romanian boy, who was found unconscious in a car in Sardinia was airlifted to a hospital in Rome but died due to irreversible brain damage, reportedly caused by heatstroke, medical authorities told AFP.

Almost three-quarters of France is under heat alerts, with temperatures forecast to top 36C in the Paris region and 40C in the Rhône Valley.

French Health Minister Catherine Vautrin said hospitals were braced for fallout from the country’s second heatwave in just a few weeks.

Greece is battling more than 150 wildfires across the country, exacerbated by fierce winds, with nearly 5,000 firefighters and dozens of aircraft tackling the blazes.

Mass evacuations are under way on touristic island Zakynthos and in western Achaia, where blazes have destroyed homes, vehicles and businesses.

Grigoris Alexopoulos, the mayor of western Achaia, said the fires in the region were “out of control”, adding some coastal areas have been “irreparably damaged”.

Rescue boats have been evacuating beachgoers trapped by advancing flames on Chios and authorities have requested several EU firefighting aircraft.

Greek authorities are warning the conditions could become even more challenging in the coming days.

Turkey has brought several major fires under control, including in Canakkale and Izmir, after hundreds were evacuated and the Dardanelles Strait and Canakkale airport were closed.

In Montenegro, a soldier died and another was injured when their water tanker overturned while fighting fires near the capital Podgorica.

Wildfires in Albania forced people to evacuate their homes on Monday, while in Croatia a large fire raged in Split and was contained on Tuesday.

Parts of the UK are sweltering in its fourth heatwave of the year, with temperatures hitting 33C and amber and yellow heat health alerts in place for all of England.

Two grassfires broke out in the capital on Tuesday, one in Ealing and another in Wanstead Flats, burning more than 17 acres combined.

Scientists warn global warming is making Mediterranean summers hotter and drier, fuelling longer and more intense fire seasons.

Additional reporting by Nikos Papanikolaou.