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Spain’s first major wildfire of the year has killed two people as a brutal heatwave breaks temperature records across Europe.
The wildfire has burned fast and furious through 6,500 hectares (16,100 acres) of land across several Catalan regions, local media reports the fire chief innsepctor as saying.
Spanish president Pedro Sanchez said his thoughts were with the families of those killed in the blaze.
“In these months of higher risk, please, let us take extreme precautions,” he said.
Turkey also battled wildfires for a third day, forcing the evacuation of about 50,000 people.
France has closed the Eiffel Tower summit and shuttered almost 2,000 schools as Spain and Portugal logged their highest-ever June temperatures as authorities took urgent measures across Mediterranean nations.
Italy banned outdoor work in some parts as red alerts were issued in 17 major cities. In Florence, power outages hit the city centre, and a worker near Bologna died in a suspected heat-related incident.
The current high-pressure system set in late last week, bringing temperatures up to 10C higher than normal for this time in summer, with the system moving east across Europe from the Iberian peninsula.
In pictures: young people beat the heat in Paris
Temperatures in Paris reached 38 degrees celsius on Tuesday as most of France sweltered in extreme temperatures. Nimes, in the country’s south, reached 41.3C.
Rachel Clun2 July 2025 09:08
Spanish firefighters work overnight to contain forest fires
Work continued throughout the night to fight large and erratic wildfires, with 50 crews working to contain the blaze ahead of another hot day on Wednesday.
The Catalan fire brigade said 130 firefighters will remain to battle the fire after crews spent the night extinguishing fires in buildings including sheds, and ruling out further deaths.
Temperatures are forecast to reach 38 degrees Celsius in parts of Catalonia on Wednesday, and the fire brigade said more storms - which brought strong gusty winds on Tuesday evening - are also forecast.
Rachel Clun2 July 2025 08:42
Two killed in Spanish wildfire
Two people have died in a ferocious Spanish wildfire that burnt through 6,500 hectares (16,100 acres) of land across several Catalan regions.
Fire chief inspector David Borrell told Spanish news outlet elDiario.es the fire was particularly violent and fast moving, with the unpredictable flames forcing firefighters to withdraw at times.
Spanish president Pedro Sanchez said his thoughts were with the families of those killed in the blaze.
“A heartfelt embrace to the families of the two people who lost their lives in the extreme fire that is devastating Segarra, Noguera, and Urgell, in Lleida,” he said on X.
“My solidarity with all those affected and my appreciation for the emergency services working to extinguish it.
“In these months of higher risk, please, let us take extreme precautions.”
Rachel Clun2 July 2025 08:24
Italy bans outdoor work in some regions
Italy banned outdoor work in some regions during the warmest hours.
The risks of working outside in searing temperatures were highlighted as trade unions attributed the death of a construction worker near the Italian city Bologna on Monday to the heat.
In Barcelona, authorities were looking into whether the death of a street sweeper over the weekend was also heat-related.
Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, heating up at twice the global average, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, with extreme heatwaves starting earlier in the year and persisting for longer.
"What is exceptional ... but not unprecedented is the time of year," said World Meteorological Organization spokesperson Clare Nullis, adding that extreme heat episodes were seen now "which normally we would see later on in the summer."
Shweta Sharma2 July 2025 07:45
What is a heat dome? Weather system explained
Large swathes of the UK and Europe are sweltering through a heatwave,with England’s southeast set to hit temperatures of 35C and parts of Europe including Paris, Rome and Athens to near 40C.
The extended period of above-average temperatures and tropical nights with minimum temperatures staying above 20C could be exacerbated by a heat dome.
Here, Rachel Clun looks at how the weather event is sending temperatures soaring across Europe.
Shweta Sharma2 July 2025 07:30
Full list of European countries under heatwave alerts as mercury soars to 46C
Temperatures have soared to 46C in Spain as an “extreme heatwave” continues to grip much of Europe, triggering a series of weather alerts across the continent.
The record-high temperature of 46C was reported in the town of El Granado in southern Spain on Saturday, according to Spain’s national weather service, with the mercury also set to reach 40C in Paris.
Shweta Sharma2 July 2025 07:00
Barcelona investigates street sweeper's death as Spain swelters in heatwave
Spanish authorities are investigating whether a street sweeper's death over the weekend in Barcelona was caused by an intense heatwave gripping the country and region, the city council said.
The woman, who had been cleaning the old town in Barcelona on Saturday afternoon, died later that day at home, her sister told the Antena 3 TV station.
Her sister said the 51-year-old woman, identified just as Montserrat, had told a colleague she thought she "was dying."
Temperatures reached 30.4C in Barcelona on Saturday, weather agency AEMET said.
Prague zoo delivers ice to keep polar bears cool as Czech Republic swelters
As the Czech Republic braces for soaring temperatures this week, Prague zoo has made special arrangement for the animals.
Parts of the country are expected to hit 37C (98.6F) on Wednesday, with authorities urging caution amid the heatwave sweeping across much of Europe.
In Prague, the city’s zoo has taken creative steps to help animals beat the heat, distributing up to 10 metric tons of ice across enclosures.
The most eye-catching residents twin polar bears Aleut and Gregor, were seen digging into frozen pieces of squid encased in ice.
Shweta Sharma2 July 2025 06:14
Marine heatwave pushes up Mediterranean Sea temperature
Mediterranean Sea temperatures surged in June in a marine heatwave, with a Greek scientist warning some species are under threat in what has likely been a record period.
The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said Copernicus Marine Service data showed sea surface temperatures on 22 June were more than 5Cs above the seasonal average.
The most intense warming in what it called a "marine heatwave" was observed in the western Mediterranean basin, including the Balearic Sea, off Spain, and the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the west coast of Italy, it said.
"We have seen temperatures we were expecting in the middle of August being recorded in June and ... this is why it is considered a record year for temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea," Christos Spyrou, associate researcher at the Academy of Athens research centre for atmospheric physics, said.
He said that the average sea temperatures in June were 3-6 degrees higher than the average between 1982-2023, which was used as a reference period.
"We expected these sea temperatures in August," Spyrou said, adding specific temperatures were not yet available.
"Some species will not be able to reproduce or survive in these conditions, especially in increasing temperatures.”
Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, heating up at twice the global average, according to Copernicus, making extreme heatwaves occur earlier in the year, and persist into later months.
Several Italian regions banned outdoor work during the hottest hours of the day on Tuesday, France shut scores of schools and Spain confirmed last month as its hottest June on record as a severe heatwave gripped Europe, triggering widespread health alerts.
A 69-year-old Greek resident who gave his name as Christos said he had noticed the warming waters off Athens.
“I have been coming here for 11 years, I believe the sea is a little warmer than other years. Every year it gets warmer, both in winter and in summer," he said
Shweta Sharma2 July 2025 05:22
In pictures: Sweltering heatwave scorches Europe
Shweta Sharma2 July 2025 04:38
