A heat wave is gripping Europe, fuelling wildfires and forcing evacuations

Globe and Mail

4 hours ago

A heat wave gripping parts of Europe sent temperatures over 40 degrees in southern France and the Western Balkans on Monday, fuelling wildfires, triggering top-level weather alerts and forcing evacuations in several countries across what scientists warn is the world's fastest-warming continent.
Fires burned in France's Aude wine region, along Bulgaria's southern borders, near Montenegro's capital and coast, and in Turkey's northwest – and Hungary recorded record-breaking weekend temperatures.
2025 is predicted to be the second- or third-warmest year on record, according to the U.K.-based Carbon Brief. The extreme heat in Europe fits that global pattern – but the continent is heating far faster than the rest of the world.
Land temperatures have risen about 2.3 degrees above pre-industrial levels, nearly twice the global average, intensifying heat waves and driving record fire seasons.
With major outbreaks in Spain, Portugal and deadly blazes in Greece since late June, the burned area is already far above the seasonal norm.
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On Monday, the French national weather authority, Météo-France, placed 12 departments on red alert, the country's highest heat warning, anticipating exceptional heat stretching from the Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean plains. Forty-one other departments were under lower-level orange alerts, as was the neighbouring microstate of Andorra, between France and Spain.
'Don't be fooled – this isn't 'normal, it's summer.' It's not normal, it's a nightmare,' agricultural climatologist Serge Zaka told broadcaster BFMTV from Montauban in France's Tarn-et-Garonne department, where the blistering heat pressed relentlessly throughout the day.
Social media images showed shuttered streets in Valence, residents shielding windows with foil to reflect the light, and tourists huddling under umbrellas along the Garonne in Toulouse. Across the south, café terraces stood empty as people sought cooler corners indoors.
In France's Aude department, a patchwork of vineyards and Mediterranean scrubland, hundreds of firefighters remained in the rolling wine country guarding the edges of a massive, deadly blaze that scorched 16,000 hectares, or 40,000 acres, last week. Officials say the fire is under control but warn it will not be fully extinguished for weeks, with hot spots still smouldering and at risk of reigniting.
The red alert in France has been issued only eight times since it was created in 2004 after a deadly summer the year before. It is reserved for extreme, prolonged heat with major health risks and the potential to disrupt daily life. The designation gives local officials powers to cancel outdoor events, close public venues and alter school or summer camp schedules.
The heat wave, France's second of the summer, began Friday and is expected to last all week, carrying into the Aug. 15 holiday weekend. It is already pushing northward, with 38 degrees forecast in the Centre-Val de Loire region and up to 34 degrees in Paris.
Across the English Channel, the U.K.'s Met Office expects the country's fourth heat wave of the summer to peak around 33 degrees in London on Tuesday. The U.K. Health Security Agency issued a yellow health alert for older adults and those with medical conditions.
Montenegro reported wildfires near the capital Podgorica and along the Adriatic coast, prompting urgent appeals for help from neighbouring countries. Families were evacuated from an area north of the capital as army units worked to protect the ruins of the ancient city of Duklja.
Senior emergency official Nikola Bojanovic described the situation as 'catastrophic,' with strong winds driving the flames. Authorities urged residents to conserve drinking water to avoid restrictions.
Fires also burned above Canj, a popular coastal resort.
Bosnia's southern city of Mostar reached 43 degrees, while Croatia's Dubrovnik hit 34 degrees in the morning.
'It's too hot, this is not normal,' said Fatima Safro, a resident of Mostar. 'It's very hot even during the night.'
In Serbia, farmers on Suva Planina mountain renewed appeals for emergency water supplies for livestock after streams and ponds dried up.
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In Bulgaria, temperatures were expected to exceed 40 degrees Monday at the day's peak, with maximum fire danger alerts in place.
Nearly 200 fires have been reported; most have been brought under control, localized and extinguished, but the situation remains 'very challenging,' said Alexander Dzhartov, head of the national fire safety unit. Three major blazes continue along the borders with Greece and Turkey, including one near Strumyani that reignited after three weeks.
More than 100 firefighters and emergency personnel are battling flames in rugged terrain unreachable by vehicles, supported by army helicopters and two Swedish aircraft.
In Turkey, a wildfire fuelled by high temperatures and strong winds forced authorities to evacuate holiday homes and a university campus and to suspend maritime traffic in the country's northwest.
The fire broke out in an agricultural field in the province of Canakkale and spread into surrounding forestland, just two days after firefighting teams had contained a similar blaze in the area. Canakkale Gov. Omer Toraman said the Dardanelles Strait wave the narrow waterway linking the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara – was closed to allow water-dropping planes and helicopters to operate safely.
Sunday brought a new national high of 39.9 degrees on Sunday in the southeast, breaking a record set in 1948. Budapest also recorded a city record at 38.7 degrees.
Authorities imposed a nationwide fire ban amid extreme heat and drought.