Firefighters battle forest fires in France as Italian authorities brace for 44 degrees
Europe is facing a severe heatwave that has triggered forest fires in France and extreme temperature warnings in Italy. Scientists attribute the increased frequency and intensity of these events to climate change.
Why it matters
The recurring heatwaves and resulting wildfires are causing significant loss of life and property, highlighting the urgent impact of climate change on European infrastructure and public safety.
Waterbombing aircraft skimmed the river Seine as firefighters struggled to contain a forest blaze south of Paris raging into a third day on Tuesday amid a spreading heatwave that has left swathes of Europe primed for more wildfires.
As France battled flames, the third bout of extreme heat this season that is also affecting Britain and Spain continued its progression into Italy, where authorities were bracing for temperatures reaching 44 degrees in Sardinia this week. The average high temperatures across western Europe was 29.4 degrees on Tuesday, 6.3 degrees higher than the seasonal average high for July 14th recorded between 1961 and 1990. The difference was most pronounced in Belgium and France, with seasonal highs deviating by as much as 9.4 and 9.1 degrees.
Scientists say climate change is making such events more frequent and intense, leaving forests and scrubland across the continent primed to burn.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in