Firefighters battle wildfires in Turkiye and France amid early summer heatwave in Europe

Firefighters struggled to douse wildfires in both Turkiye and France as an early summer heatwave hit Europe.

Health alerts were issued in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Germany. Even the Netherlands, typically accustomed to milder weather, warned of upcoming high temperatures combined with significant humidity.

“Large parts of Western Europe are experiencing extreme heat and heatwave conditions that are normally observed in July or August, rather than June,” said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

She noted that temperatures in some areas were 5-10°C higher than what is typical for this time of year.

In Turkiye, wildfires raged for a second consecutive day in the western province of Izmir, propelled by strong winds, according to Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli.

The AFAD emergency management authority reported that more than 50,000 people had been evacuated from five regions, including over 42,000 from Izmir alone. Turkiye’s coastal areas have seen increasing wildfire devastation in recent years, a trend that scientists attribute to human-induced climate change.

Meanwhile, in France, wildfires ignited on Sunday in the southwestern Aude department as temperatures surpassed 40°C, burning 400 hectares and forcing the evacuation of a campsite and an abbey. Although the fires were under control by Monday, they had not yet been fully extinguished. Meteo France had placed 84 of the country’s 101 departments on an orange alert for heatwave conditions from Monday through midweek.

The heatwave’s impact was evident everywhere—from spectators lining up at the All England Club for the Wimbledon tennis tournament to tourists at iconic sites such as the Colosseum in Rome and various locations in Seville, Spain. "It’s about 20 degrees warmer than I’m used to and I’m sunburnt all over," remarked tennis fan Scott Henderson, who was attending Wimbledon from Scotland.

Spain is predicted to have its hottest June on record, according to the national meteorological service AEMET. “Over the next few days, at least until Thursday, intense heat will continue in much of Spain,” said Ruben del Campo, a spokesperson for the agency. In Seville, where global leaders recently convened for a United Nations conference, temperatures soared to 42°C. “It’s awful,” said municipal worker Bernabe Rufo as he cleaned a fountain, adding, “We need to be looking for shade constantly.” The highest temperature in the country was recorded at 43.7°C in El Granado.

In Italy, the Health Ministry issued red alerts for heatwaves in 16 cities, including Rome and Milan. In response to the extreme conditions, the Lombardy region—an industrial hub in northern Italy—plans to prohibit outdoor work during the hottest parts of the day, following appeals from trade unions.