Heat Wave Hits Europe, Wildfires Break Out in France and Turkey

A heat wave has gripped Europe, with warnings issued in several countries and wildfires reported in France and Turkey over the weekend and on June 30. Temperatures are expected to remain high through midweek.

In recent days, heat warnings were issued in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands as the mercury rose across the continent.

Firefighters battled wildfires in France and Turkey, with more than 50,000 people in Turkey evacuated on June 30.

In the western Turkish province of Izmir, wildfires raged for a second day on June 30, with evacuations taking place across five regions, according to Turkey’s disaster and emergency management authority, AFAD.

About 42,000 people were evacuated in Izmir, according to AFAD.

Wildfires erupted in France on June 29 in the southwestern department of Aude. Temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on June 30, burning 400 hectares (about 988 acres) of land and forcing the evacuation of a campsite and a housing development, local authorities said.

The blazes were under control but had not been extinguished, authorities said on June 30.

Weather service Meteo France put 84 of the nation’s 101 departments on an orange heatwave alert from June 30 until midweek, with temperatures expected to peak on July 1 and July 2.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in a post on social media platform X that extreme temperatures are the new normal.

“Extreme heat is no longer a rare event—it has become the new normal,” he wrote. “I’m experiencing it firsthand in Spain during the Financing for Development Conference. The planet is getting hotter & more dangerous—no country is immune. We need more ambitious #ClimateAction now.”

Guterres was posting from Seville, Spain, where temperatures topped 42 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit), according to AccuWeather.

Dr. Hans Kluge, head of the World Health Organization’s Europe office, also issued a statement saying that “scorching heat is sweeping across the WHO European Region right now—shattering records, straining health systems and putting countless lives at risk.”

“It silently threatens the people who need protection most: older adults, children, outdoor workers, and anyone living with chronic health conditions,” he wrote.

Kluge blamed the temperature rises on “climate change,” saying it meant that heatwaves are “no longer rare” and “are becoming more intense, more frequent and more dangerous.”

Temperatures in some locations across the continent were warmer by 5 degrees to 10 degrees Celsius (9 degrees to 18 degrees Fahrenheit) than they normally are at this time of the year, the UK Met Office reported.

In London, the Wimbledon Championships tennis tournament experienced its hottest opening day, with temperatures hitting a maximum of 32.9 degrees Celsius (about 91.2 degrees Fahrenheit) on June 30, according to the UK Met Office.

Tournament organizers gave players ice packs and cold towels to help manage the heat during changeovers in the matches, the BBC reported.

Rules permit players to take a 10-minute break when the heat goes above 30.1 degrees Celsius (about 86.2 degrees Fahrenheit) mid-match; however, that was not brought into force during play on June 30.

One match, between defending Spanish champion Carlos Alcaraz and Italian veteran Fabio Fognini, was paused for 15 minutes after a spectator became ill during the fifth and final set, which was won by the Spaniard.

Italy’s health ministry on July 1 issued red alert warnings for 17 cities, which indicates “emergency conditions with possible negative effects” for people.

Spain experienced its hottest June on record, the national meteorological service AEMET said on July 1, with an average temperature of 23.6 degrees Celsius (about 74.5 degrees Fahrenheit).

“Over the next few days, at least until Thursday, intense heat will continue in much of Spain,” said Rubén del Campo, a spokesperson for the weather agency.

Reuters contributed to this report.