As Heat Wave Hits Southern Europe, Wildfires Kill 2

Southern Europe was sweltering under relentless and life-threatening heat on Tuesday, fueling wildfires that have left at least two people dead.

Spain and France were expected to suffer the most, with forecasters warning that temperatures would surpass 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in places.

Here’s what you need to know about the wildfires and extreme heat gripping Europe this week.

Spain

Nearly 1,000 soldiers were deployed to battle wildfires around the country, Spain’s national military emergency unit said on Tuesday morning. It shared images on social media of firefighters running hoses through a burning forest and emergency trucks on the move.

The blazes have prompted the evacuations of hundreds of people from their homes in that region and at least two others: León, in the northwest and Cádiz, in the south.

Spain’s national meteorological agency issued red-level “extreme risk” alerts for five regions as forecasters warned that temperatures would soar above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit. In parts of the Córdoba and Seville countryside, temperatures were expected to peak at 44 degrees Celsius, or 111 degrees Fahrenheit, on Tuesday.

France

A wildfire in the Aude region of southwestern France killed one person and injured several others, including a number of firefighters and civilians, the local government said in a statement on Monday night.

On Monday alone, 80 weather stations broke August records — 58 of them all-time highs. In Bordeaux, the mercury peaked at 41.6 degrees Celsius, or about 107 Fahrenheit, the hottest temperature ever recorded in the region.

Searing conditions persisted on Tuesday, and red alerts remained in place for 14 departments through Wednesday, with temperatures forecast to reach 42 degrees Celsius (just over 107 degrees Fahrenheit). Météo-France, the French weather service, said the southwest and the Rhône Valley would remain especially hot, with the heat wave expanding north and northeast.

Portugal

Several wildfires were burning in Portugal on Tuesday, according to a government tracker. The Portuguese authorities wrote on X that they were seeking assistance from Morocco to help fight the fires, after two leased Canadair aircraft broke down.

The European Commission’s Copernicus Emergency Management Service had said on Monday that more than 1,200 fire personnel and 400 aerial units were battling a large blaze near Trancoso, a historic area in the center of the country, that had burned more than 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres).

The Portuguese weather service issued orange-level heat alerts for much of the country on Tuesday, with temperatures expected to climb above 40 degrees Celsius. On Monday, temperatures hit 44.6 degrees Celsius (over 112 degrees Fahrenheit) in Elvas, in eastern central Portugal.

Italy

On Tuesday, the health ministry placed 11 cities — including Florence and Milan — under the highest-level heat alert, indicating conditions dangerous even for healthy, active individuals. Forecasters were predicting temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) later in the week.

Britain

Highs of 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit) were expected this week, particularly in central and southern parts of England and Wales, where the U.K. Health Security Agency issued amber heat health alerts — its second tier warning out of three — through Wednesday.

José Bautista contributed reporting from Madrid and Aritz Parra from London.