Hundreds more people were evacuated from their homes as wildfires raged in France, Spain and Portugal. More than 1,000 firefighters, supported by water-bomber aircraft, have battled since Tuesday to control two blazes in southwestern France that have been fanned by scorching heat, tinder-box conditions and strong winds.
Italy has declared a state of emergency after facing its hottest July since 1800, with temperatures expected to rise next week. While temperatures dipped a little in Portugal, they were still expected to top 40C in some places, with five districts on red alert and more than 1,000 firefighters tackling 17 wildfires, authorities said.
In Spain, the Environment Ministry said it was helping tackle 17 wildfires across the country. Portuguese Health Minister Marta Temido said the health system faced a "particularly worrying" week due to the heatwave and said some hospitals were overwhelmed.
Portugal registered 238 excess deaths last week due to the heatwave, the country's DGS health authority said. Spain registered 84 excess deaths attributable to extreme temperatures in the first three days of the heatwave, according to the National Epidemiology Centre's database.
In France's Gironde region, 11,300 people have been evacuated since the wildfires broke out around Dune du Pilat and Landiras. Some 7,350 hectares (18,000 acres) of land have been burnt. Authorities said the fires had not yet been stabilised.
Fires ravaged parts of Extremadura, in Spain, which borders Portugal, and the central Castille and Leon region. In Catalonia, authorities suspended camping and sporting activities around 275 towns and villages to prevent fire risks and restricted farm work involving machinery.
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