Firefighters continued battling a major wildfire south of Paris for a third consecutive day on Tuesday as an intense heatwave spread across western Europe, increasing the risk of new blazes across the continent.
In France, waterbombing aircraft skimmed the River Seine to collect water while assisting hundreds of firefighters working to contain the fire near the historic Fontainebleau Forest.
The extreme heat has also spread into Italy, where authorities warned temperatures in Sardinia could reach 44°C later this week. Parts of Britain and Spain are also experiencing unusually high temperatures.
According to the Reuters Climate Monitor, the average daytime high across Western Europe reached 29.4°C on Tuesday—6.3°C above the long-term average for July 14. The largest temperature anomalies were recorded in Belgium and France, where highs were as much as 9.4°C and 9.1°C above seasonal norms, respectively.
Scientists say climate change is increasing both the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events, leaving forests and vegetation drier and more vulnerable to large wildfires across Europe.