A scorching heatwave has hit Europe, causing forest fires and health warnings as British tourists prepare to go on their holidays.
The continent is bracing for another season of extreme heat caused by climate change after record-breaking temperatures and 61,000 deaths last year.
Blazes broke out in Croatia and Greece, and temperatures were predicted to be higher than 40C in parts of Spain and Italy.
The Spanish health ministry issued emergency alerts across the country, where it was predicted to get as hot as 44C (111F) in Andalucia, and the first official heatwave was declared on Thursday.
Andalucia, Aragon, Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura, Navarre and Madrid are the regions most at risk. Soaring temperatures have been caused by a blast of hot air from sub-Saharan Africa.
According to some reports Spain could suffer its hottest day in 74 years on Saturday.
“The heat is killing 3,000 people a year and it’s going to get worse. But while exposure to extreme heat is going to rise, we can also step up our adaptation to it,” Héctor Tejero, the ministry’s head of health and climate change, told local media.
“When it comes to the heat: protect yourself; hydrate yourself; refresh yourself, and take care of more vulnerable people,” the ministry said.
Last week, British holidaymakers were advised to limit trips outside during the hottest part of the day because of a “serious risk to health” during a spell of extreme heat on the Costa del Sol.
Italy put 14 cities under the highest alert with temperatures expected to climb past 40C, especially in central and southern regions, on Thursday.
The health ministry said on Friday it would extend the emergency warning to 17 cities with the heat expected to last until Sunday.
Temperatures of 38C were expected in Sicily on Sunday but because of the humidity, it could feel much warmer. In Palermo, it could feel as hot as 44C.
It is expected to be 37C in Rome on Saturday, far hotter than the daily average maximum temperature of 29.3C.
The second heatwave of the Greek summer brought forest fires and temperatures of up to 43C on Thursday.
Firefighters battled one blaze in a village close to Thessaloniki and a fire on Kea, an island near Athens, forced the evacuation of two areas.
“We appeal to the public to be particularly careful as over the next few days there is a very high risk of the outbreak of serious wildfires,” Pavlos Marinakis, a government spokesperson, said. “Even one spark can cause a major catastrophe.”
The government ordered the Acropolis, Greece’s biggest tourist draw, to close during the hottest part of the day. Outdoor work was also restricted.
Firefighters and water-bombing planes tackled a forest fire that broke out near the popular Croatian coastal resort of Trogir.
About 70 firefighters prevented the blaze from spreading to houses and a hotel complex.
Earlier this week, Croatia reported the highest temperature on the Adriatic Sea. In Dubrovnik, the country’s most popular tourist destination, it was almost 30C.
The British Red Cross issued a warning to British tourists to beware of the extreme heat.
It mentioned the death of Dr Michael Mosley, the TV presenter, in a heatwave in Greece and studies citing 61,000 deaths across Europe because of the heat last summer.
Last year, Europe was gripped by a record-breaking heatwave, which was blamed on the effects of climate change.
William Spencer, climate and first aid product manager at the British Red Cross, said: “Heatwaves are becoming more frequent and getting worse because of climate change.
“Sadly, we have seen cases already this year of the tragic impact high temperatures can have on human life.”
