A worsening heatwave across Europe has heightened the risk of wildfires, with firefighters battling a major forest blaze south of Paris for a third consecutive day while authorities in Italy warned that temperatures could reach 44°C in parts of the country.
Waterbombing aircraft skimmed the River Seine on Tuesday as emergency crews worked to contain the wildfire in France, while the season’s third spell of extreme heat, already affecting Britain and Spain, spread into Italy.
According to Climate Monitor, “the average daytime temperature across Western Europe reached 29.4°C on Tuesday, 6.3°C above the seasonal average for 14 July based on records from 1961 to 1990.”
Belgium and France recorded the highest temperature anomalies, with daytime temperatures exceeding seasonal averages by 9.4°C and 9.1°C, respectively, underscoring the intensity of the current heatwave across the region.
Scientists say “climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of such extreme weather events, leaving forests and scrubland across Europe highly susceptible to wildfires.”
More than 10,000 excess deaths were recorded across Europe and Britain during the two record-breaking heatwaves in May and late June, with scientists saying the only credible explanation for the unusually high death toll was heat-related.
In Spain, authorities continued efforts to identify victims of last week’s deadly wildfire in the popular holiday region of Almeria, which killed at least 13 people, most of them foreign nationals, while 10 others remain missing.
France’s Interior Minister, Laurent Nunez, said “the Fontainebleau blaze is contributing to what is likely to become a record year for wildfires in France, with 32,000 hectares already burned in 2026, surpassing the total area burned in all of 2025.”
“We expected this with this major drought,” he added.
In Italy, meteorologists said a high-pressure system over Sardinia is expected to peak on Thursday and Friday, pushing inland temperatures on the island to 44 C.
Forecasts also put temperatures at 39 C in Florence and 38 C in Rome. The heatwave is also being accompanied by fine sand blowing in from North Africa, they said.
Reuters
