Forest fires rage across Europe as heatwave sends temperatures soaring

In Portugal, the meteorological institute has forecast temperatures of up to 42C, with no respite before next week. The civil defence authorities, however, took advantage of a slight drop in temperatures after a July record of 47C on Thursday to try to stamp out one remaining major fire in the north of the country.

A total of 39,550 hectares (98,000 acres) was ravaged by wildfires between the start of the year and mid-June, more than triple the area in the same period last year, data from the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests showed.

In Spain, the state meteorological agency maintained various levels of alert across the country, warning of temperatures of up to 44C in some regions.

One fire in the south led the authorities to cordon off a section of a key highway connecting Madrid to the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, for more than 12 hours. Another blaze near the southern city of Málaga forced the preventive evacuation of more than 3,000 people, rescue services said.

A 60-year-old street sweeper died after developing heatstroke while working in Madrid on Friday afternoon, prompting the city council to announce flexible working hours so that municipal employees can avoid the hottest periods of the day.

Emergency officials also warned that high temperatures and winds on Sunday and Monday would complicate efforts to stop the fires from spreading.

In Greece, the civil defence rushed to douse flames raging on the Mediterranean island of Crete, while Morocco was battling a forest fire in its northern mountains that killed at least one person and forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 families.

The fight against the flames has claimed the lives of a number of personnel, from a pilot killed when his plane crashed in northern Portugal to two who died in Greece when their helicopter fell into the sea.

The fires have been fanned by extreme temperatures that experts attribute to the climate crisis. Croatia and Hungary have also had wildfires this week, as has the US state of California.

The Met Office said temperatures in southern England could exceed 40C on Monday or Tuesday for the first time, leading some schools to say they will stay closed next week.

The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, advised Londoners to use public transport only if absolutely necessary. National rail operators also warned passengers to avoid travelling on trains.

Agence France-Presse, Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report