At dawn on Sunday, June 29, France's Mediterranean coast woke up gasping for air. In the deserted streets of Marseille in the early morning, pharmacy signs already displayed 34°C. In the neighboring Var area, farmers protected their crops with covers before the sun could rise and scorch everything. In Nice, community nurses starting their shifts around 5 am to reach the Moulins district got into cars already hot.

As they climbed the stairs of these massive concrete blocks, they knew they would once again have to send patients to the hospital because of the heat. The previous day, in these apartments where temperatures hovered around 42°C, there had already been cases of low blood pressure, medications not being properly absorbed due to dehydration, and people fainting. "I'm okay," said Cécile Baravalle, 49. "I'm healthy and I have air conditioning at home. But not everyone is so lucky. Out in the field, when I run into my colleagues, everyone is wiped out."

Whether on the coast or inland, shutters stayed closed. In Vidauban, the thermometer read 36°C, with a felt temperature of 40°C, according to Météo-France, the French national meteorological service. In Fréjus, it was 35°C at the beach, and the sea temperature was 27°C. In Le Cannet, where it was still 30°C at 9 pm, a mother spent Sunday in police custody after leaving her daughter in the car.

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