A deadly heatwave is sweeping across southern Europe, with temperatures expected to reach 44C in parts of Spain. Scientists have described the combination of extreme heat, strong winds, and dry conditions as a 'molotov cocktail' fuelling devastating wildfires across the Mediterranean.
In Italy, a four-year-old boy died of heatstroke after being found unconscious in the family's car in Sardinia. Red alert warnings have been issued for seven major cities, including Bologna and Florence, where temperatures of 40C are forecast later this week.
France's weather agency placed more than half the country under heatwave warnings on Monday, with 12 administrative units on red alert. Spain's Aemet warned of 'extreme danger' in Zaragoza and the Basque Country, with temperatures above 40C expected across much of the country. In the lower Guadalquivir valley, temperatures could exceed 44C.
Firefighters are struggling to contain numerous wildfires. In France, one person died in the country's largest fire since 1949, which was brought under control on Sunday. In Spain, fires in León and Zamora forced more than 1,000 people to flee their homes, while large blazes continued in Galicia. The Balkans also saw fires near Split, Croatia, and in Albania and Montenegro.
Cristina Santín Nuño, a fire scientist at the Spanish National Research Council, said the large number of fires was 'to be expected' after a wet spring followed by extreme heat. She noted that 'all the ingredients for the molotov cocktail we're seeing right now' are present. The world has warmed by about 1.4C due to fossil fuel pollution, with Europe warming nearly twice as fast as the global average.
