Hundreds of firefighters are battling wildfires in Spain's Catalonia region, as temperatures soar to 40C (104F) across parts of Europe, APA reports citing BBC
Officials say the fires are the worst in the region for 20 years and may spread rapidly.
Spain, France and Italy are experiencing extreme heat. On Wednesday Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic saw highest ever June temperatures.
Meteorologists say hot air drawn in from northern Africa is responsible.
The heat is expected to rise further in many countries over the next three days, meteorologists warn.