Southern Europe braces for another scorching heat wave

Southern European countries are preparing to face another wave of scorching temperatures on Wednesday after barely recovering from last month's heat wave.

France's national weather service Meteo-France placed 67 departments on orange heat alert as temperatures are expected to reach 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in certain areas.

Meteo-France also forecasts that 40 departments may face a high wildfire risk, with five more likely to face a very high risk.

The country has been dealing with ongoing wildfires, primarily in its southern departments, for the past few days. The fire in the Pyrenees-Orientales has already consumed more than 4,900 hectares (12,100 acres).

Authorities told ICI that the situation improved on Wednesday, but 800 freighters remained on the ground to prevent flare-ups.

Earlier on Tuesday, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced the arrest of six people on suspicion of "having been involved in the outbreak of a wildfire."

A fire in the Drome department also led to 1,400 hectares (3,460 acres) being burned on Tuesday.

Nunez also announced early on Wednesday morning on US social media company X that a 22-year-old volunteer firefighter was killed while responding to a fire overnight in Savoie.

Italy is also expected to be affected by the upcoming heat wave, with temperatures reaching up to 40C (104F) over the weekend. Several cities have been put on orange alert, according to Rai News.

Spain's weather service Aemet also issued red alerts for two communities while most of the country is under orange alerts.

Temperatures are expected to exceed 40C (104F) in some areas and climb to nearly 45C (113F).

In Portugal, temperatures are also expected to climb to 40C (104F), with many areas under orange alerts.