Southeastern Europe Hit Hard by Dangerous Heatwave and Wildfires

A record-breaking heatwave swept into southeastern Europe on Monday, June 29, bringing dangerously high temperatures and sparking wildfires in several countries. Countries in the Balkans region — including Croatia, Serbia, and Albania — were all feeling the extreme heat. The heatwave had already been going on for more than a week and had caused hundreds of deaths across Europe. Scientists say it is the worst heatwave ever recorded on the continent. Authorities in many countries issued warnings and asked people to stay safe.

In Croatia, weather officials issued a red alert — the most serious level of warning — for the capital city of Zagreb and popular tourist spots like Split and Dubrovnik. Dozens of firefighters, helped by four aircraft, worked to put out a wildfire burning through pine forests on the island of Vis in the Adriatic Sea. The island sits about 34 miles southwest of Split and is a popular destination for visitors in the summer.

Nearby in Serbia, the national weather service warned that temperatures could reach 39 degrees Celsius, which is about 102 degrees Fahrenheit. That kind of heat can be very dangerous, especially for young children, older adults, and people who work outdoors. Serbia's weather service urged people to avoid being outside during the hottest parts of the day.

Further south, the country of Albania managed to bring a wildfire under control over the weekend. The fire had burned through many hectares of bushes and olive trees near a small village in the southern part of the country. Wildfires spread quickly in dry, hot conditions, making them especially hard to fight during a heatwave.

France reported about 1,000 extra deaths linked to the heat. French health officials said most of those who died were older people. They also warned that the number of heat-related deaths was expected to keep rising as the temperatures stayed high.

Scientists who study weather and climate said the heatwave began on June 20. They explained that the extreme heat has damaged power systems and other infrastructure, and put a huge strain on hospitals and healthcare workers. The scientists also said that human-caused climate change made this kind of heatwave 100 times more likely than it would have been just 20 years ago.

There were also some tragic stories connected to the heat. On Sunday, two boys aged 8 and 10 from Bulgaria were found dead in a hot car in Cyprus. Cyprus was experiencing temperatures of around 38 degrees Celsius at the time. In Poland, two cyclists — one aged 30 and one aged 71 — died while taking part in a bike race near Warsaw, where temperatures hit a new national record of 40.5 degrees Celsius.

Weather experts warned that the heat was not over. Luca Mercalli, the head of Italy's Meteorological Society, said temperatures were expected to rise again in early July, starting around July 5 or 6. He said countries including France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and parts of Britain could all be affected again. He also noted that while extreme heat raises the risk of wildfires, rainstorms in some areas could help lower that danger.