Temperatures in France are expected to reach a record-breaking high on Friday, as Europe continues to endure a sweltering heatwave which sparked an out-of-control wildfire in Spain.
Governments warned citizens to take extra precautions, with the week-long heatwave causing a build-up of pollution and fears of an increase in emergency calls across Europe.
French meteorologists have forecast temperatures that may exceed 45 degrees Celsius on Friday, a high never seen in mainland France.
The current record was set in August 2003 in the southern region of Montpellier and Nimes, when the thermometer hit 44.1 degrees Celsius.
"To beat this record so early in the year would be exceptional," said meteorologist Christelle Robert.
The average maximum temperature recorded Wednesday in France of 34.9 C was already a record for the month of June, said state weather forecaster Meteo France.
French President Emmanuel Macron warned that such extreme weather is likely to become more frequent as a result of global warming.
"We will need to change our set-up, our way of working, build differently," he said, stressing a necessary "adaption of society and its habits."
French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn on Thursday said people had to be prepared for the peak of the heatwave and expressed irritation that some appeared not to be listening to advice.
She complained about parents leaving their children in the car and joggers exercising in the midday heat.
– Manure wildfire –
A forest fire in Torre del Espanol in Spain's northeastern Catalonia region raged out of control, devouring land despite the efforts of hundreds of firefighters.
Catalonia's forest agent service said the fire likely began when an "improperly managed" pile of manure at a chicken farm self-combusted in the extreme heat.
Some 350 firefighters backed by around 230 soldiers and 15 aerial tanker aircraft were at the scene of the blaze on Thursday.
"The situation is critical," said fire service chief Antonio Ramos. "We haven't seen a fire like this (in the region) in 20 years."
With temperatures expected to reach up to 42 C on Friday, Spain has issued a "red level" warning to its population.
In the Italian city of Milan, a 72-year-old homeless man was found dead at the main train station after falling ill due to the heatwave, the local authorities said.
As Germans attempted to cool off amid scorching temperatures, at least four people died in bathing accidents in different parts of the country on Wednesday.
Some areas of the country were experiencing water shortages and some residents in the North Rhine-Westphalia state were told to only use drinking water for vital purposes or face a 1,000- euro ($1,137) fine.
There has been no coordinated shutdown of schools but some have closed in parts of France, while others advised parents to keep children at home.
In Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Strasbourg, authorities have banned the most-polluting cars from the roads.
Residents of the French city of Grenoble were unable to use two municipal swimming pools despite the record temperatures, due to a row sparked by use of the full-body Islamic burkini swimsuit.
Lifeguards had asked for the shutdown after Muslim women clad in burkinis had gone to swim in defiance of a municipal ban.
Migrants, homeless seek shelter in sizzling France
Paris (AFP) June 27, 2019 –
"My tent is unbearably hot from about 6:00 am. I have to come here to keep cool," Ahmed Yusuf said.
The 35-year-old Somali is one of hundreds of people who turned up at the emergency drop-in centres opened around France for migrants and homeless people as temperatures soar.
At Porte de la Chapelle in northern Paris, where between 700 and 1,200 migrants live in makeshift camps, one such centre offers showers, toilets, coffee and a place to shelter from the heatwave smothering France and much of Europe.
"We're lucky to have this building. It's cool and airy," said Marie Cougoureux from the Salvation Army charity that runs the centre.
"I've managed to negotiate a 200-litre (53-gallon) water tank and we've received 1,000 water bottles from Paris city hall," she told AFP.
Inside, dozens of migrants snooze on sofas and check their mobile phones, as a gentle breeze wafts through the room.
"In Sudan, I was used to the heat, but it's different here in France," said Mustapha, 26, as he waited to fill up his water bottle.
"We're always outside so we can't really protect ourselves."
In April, the mayors of 13 French cities, including Paris's Anne Hidalgo, demanded more space in the country's "congested" migrant shelters, in a joint letter to France's interior and housing ministers.
– Tempers flare –
In the eastern city of Lyon, two sports halls — each equipped with two large air-conditioned Red Cross tents — have offered welcome respite to a string of homeless people and migrants, among them pregnant women.
And in France's second city Marseille, a shower truck has been making daily stops.
But plans to open centres elsewhere in France have come up against resistance.
In Montauban, near the southern city of Toulouse, tempers flared over plans to open a new homeless centre on Thursday, ahead of a scorching weekend with the mercury set to hit 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit).
Mayor Brigitte Bareges had objected, claiming the town was "perfectly ready for the heatwave and to protect its people", denouncing interference from the "Welcome Montauriol" charity which wants to provide food and showers to between 50 and 80 people each day.
The move sparked a backlash from charity groups and from Health Minister Agnes Buzyn, who wrote on Twitter that she was "dumbfounded".
But the mayor's opposition was ultimately overruled by the department's top official, Pierre Besnard.
"We need to get these people off the streets. There's a heatwave and we must have a sense of humanity," he said.
– Shower hours –
Back at the centre in Paris, pressure was building over the "constant stream of people" coming for shelter, forcing the volunteers to close its 12 showers earlier this week.
"We couldn't continue," Cougoureux said.
"We decided to regulate the showers and allow 100 people until 1:00 pm, then 50 people later in the afternoon. During the heatwave, we'll extend our opening hours."
For charities, the extra measures are only a temporary solution to France's homelessness problem.
Heatwave or not, "people die in the streets all year round", said Cecila Rocca, a coordinator for the Paris-based association The Dead of the Streets.
