PARIS, July 14 (Reuters) - Waterbombing aircraft skimmed the river Seine as firefighters struggled to contain a forest blaze south of Paris raging into its third day on Tuesday amid a spreading heatwave that has left swathes of Europe primed for more wildfires.
As France battled flames, the third bout of extreme heat this season that is also affecting Britain and Spain continued its progression into Italy, where authorities were bracing for temperatures reaching 44 degrees Celsius (111.2 degrees Fahrenheit) in Sardinia this week.
According to the Reuters Climate Monitor, the average high of temperatures across Western Europe was 29.4 C on Tuesday, 6.3 C higher than the seasonal average high for July 14 recorded between 1961 and 1990. The difference was most pronounced in Belgium and France, with seasonal highs deviating by as much as 9.4 C and 9.1 C.
Scientists say climate change is making such events more frequent and intense, leaving forests and scrubland across the continent primed to burn.
LIKELY RECORD YEAR FOR FRENCH WILDFIRES
More than 10,000 excess deaths were recorded across Europe and Britain in the last two record-breaking heatwaves in May and late June, with scientists saying the only credible reason for the unusually high toll was heat-related.
In Spain, authorities continued work to identify victims of last week's deadly forest fire in the popular holiday area of Almeria, which killed at least 13 people, mostly foreign nationals, and left 10 missing.
French firefighters battled through the night to tackle the blaze that tore through the historic forest of Fontainebleau, home to one of France's best-known royal palaces. At least two people were arrested on suspicion of having started the fire.
"It is not under control," Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said late on Monday, adding that the main blaze in Fontainebleau and another one nearby that started on Monday afternoon had scorched 1,300 hectares (3,212 acres). He said 59 people had been arrested across France on suspicion of starting fires this season.
Nunez said the Fontainebleau blaze is contributing to what will likely be a record year for fires in France, with 32,000 hectares burned already this year, more than the total in 2025.
"We expected this with this major drought," he added.
In Italy, a high-pressure system that has taken hold in Sardinia was anticipated to peak on Thursday and Friday, meteorologists said, with temperatures expected to reach 44 C in inland Sardinia, 39 C in Florence, and 38 C in Rome. The incoming heat is accompanied by fine sand billowing in from North Africa, they said.
(Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter in Paris, Giselda Vagnoni in Rome; additional writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Kevin Buckland and Andrei Khalip)
