France was bracing on Monday for the peak of a heatwave gripping the country, with sweltering temperatures expected from the Mediterranean as far up as Brittany in the north-west.
Forecasters have put 15 departments across the country on the highest state of alert for extreme temperatures, including Gironde in the south-west where forest fires have already wrought havoc.
In the Landes forest, in the south-west Aquitaine region, temperatures “will be above 42ºC”, said forecaster Olivier Proust.
Brittany, which until recently had escaped the worst of the heat, could register temperatures as high as 40°C, said experts, which would be a record for the region.
Scientists say the increasing number of extreme weather events is a direct consequence of global warming, as greenhouse gases increase their intensity, length and frequency.
The intense heatwave has already caused several forest fires in France and elsewhere, and some farmers have taken to working at night to reduce the risk of a spark from their harvesting equipment starting a fire that destroys their crops.
The fires in Gironde, which have been raging since Tuesday, had destroyed 13,000 hectares by Sunday night, driven by high winds.
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Firefighters tackle a blaze close to the village of Opatje Selo, western Slovenia. AFP -
A burned out vehicle and remains of the Blue Waves campsite in Gironde, France. Bloomberg -
A destroyed restaurant at Lagune Beach in Gironde. Bloomberg -
Firefighters extinguish a blaze in Le Tuzan, the Gironde. Bloomberg -
A firefighter digs up burning roots while extinguishing ground fire in Le Tuzan. Bloomberg -
Firefighters spray fire retardant in Le Tuzan. Bloomberg -
Croatia’s Canadair airplane helps to extinguish wildfires close to the village of Kostanjevica na Krasu. AFP -
Firefighters spray water with a hose on a the fire as wildfires rage in the forest close to the village of Novelo, Slovenia. Hundreds of firefighters were deployed in western Slovenia to battle a blaze that forced the evacuation of several villages, emergency services said. AFP -
A firefighter douses a burning log near Aromas, California. AP -
The Anzar brush fire in northern California’s San Benito County covered about 90 acres on Thursday and destroyed at least one structure. AP -
A helicopter drops water on the fire near Aromas, California. AP -
About 200 firefighters were battling the blaze, which officials said was burning at a moderate speed, fuelled by acres of eucalyptus trees. AP -
A burnt statue at the Les Flots Bleus camping site, which was destroyed by the fire that ravaged La Teste-de-Buch forest in France's Gironde region. Reuters -
Two people walk on a path covered with ashes after a fire consumed acres of forest near Brasparts, western France. AFP -
A fire engine burnt in the blaze that hit Brasparts, France. AFP -
An aerial view of the Les Flots Bleus camping site after the blaze. Reuters -
An aircraft drops retardant on a fire near Glen Rose, Texas. Officials say a mandatory evacuation order issued because of a wildfire in North Texas has been lifted although the threat of fires remains high. AP Photo -
The burnt yard of a house after a wildfire near Megara town, west of Athens, Greece. The fire broke out in the hills outside the town, prompting a new, but limited, round of evacuations. AP Photo -
Smoke from wildfires close to houses in the village of Kostanjevica na Krasu. Hundreds of firefighters were sent to western Slovenia to battle a blaze that forced the evacuation of several villages. AFP -
Croatia’s Canadair plane helps to extinguish wildfires close to the village of Kostanjevica na Krasu. AFP -
Firefighters soak the smoldering ground on the coast of Possum Kingdom Lake in Graford, Texas. AP -
A firefighter in Megara, west of Athens. AFP -
A wildfire rages near the border with Italy, in Miren, Slovenia. Reuters -
An aerial view of the Pyla dune in Pyla sur Mer, near Arcachon, south-west France. In the Gironde region of France, two huge fires feeding on tinder-dry pine forests forced tens of thousands of people to flee homes and summer vacation spots since they broke out July 12. AP -
This house caught alight during a wildfire in Megara, Greece. EPA
The blaze in the Teste-de-Buch forest in Gironde had reached the beach and was moving south, said the local prefecture. Video from the scene showed a massive fire at La Lagune, near the famous Dune of Pilat — Europe's tallest sand dune.
France's Interior Ministry said it was sending three more firefighting aircraft to reinforce the six already operating in the region, as well as 200 more firefighters and more equipment.
“In certain zones in the south-west, it will be an apocalypse of heat,” forecaster Francois Gourand of Meteo-France told AFP.
Temperatures across France are expected to be cross 30°C, but rise to between 38°C and 40°C in the western half of the country.
Officials in several regions have also issued pollution alerts because of the high concentrations of ozone.
The heatwave is gripping much of western Europe, with high temperatures and forest fires in Spain and Portugal.
Britain's Met Office issued its first-ever “red” warning for extreme heat that it said posed a “risk to life”.
