Heatwave: Ferocious European heat heads north

Western Europe faces more sweltering temperatures on Tuesday as a ferocious heatwave heads north.

In France and the UK extreme heat warnings were issued while northern Spain recorded temperatures of 43C (109F) on Monday.

Deadly wildfires in France, Portugal, Spain and Greece have forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes.

The UK is expected to see its hottest day ever and experts say parts of France face a “heat apocalypse”.

Two people were killed by forest fires in Spain’s north-western Zamora region and trains in the area were halted because of fire near the tracks. An elderly couple died while trying to escape fires in northern Portugal.

Several parts of France saw their hottest-ever days with the western city of Nantes recording 42C, the national weather office said.

Wildfires in recent days forced more than 30,000 people to flee, with emergency shelters set up for evacuees. A zoo with 1,000 animals was among the areas evacuated.

Gironde, a popular tourist region in the south-west, has been hit particularly badly, with firefighters from across France battling to control blazes that have destroyed nearly 17,000 hectares (42,000 acres) of land since last Tuesday.

“The idea that comes into my head is, it’s a monster,” said Jean-Luc Gleyze, Gironde’s regional president.

“It’s a monster like an octopus, and it’s growing and growing and growing in the front, in the back, on both sides. Because of the temperature, because of the wind, because of the lack of water in the air… it’s a monster and it’s very difficult to fight against it.”