Thousands flee wildfires in Turkey as Europe is hit by early heatwave

(Reuters)

ISTANBUL/PARIS/BRUSSELS, June 30 – Firefighters battled wildfires in Turkey and France on Monday and more than 50,000 people were evacuated as an early summer heatwave hit Europe.

Health alerts were issued in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Germany. Even the Netherlands, used to a milder climate, issued a warning for high temperatures in the coming days, coupled with high humidity.

“Large parts of Western Europe are experiencing extreme heat and heatwave conditions that are normally observed in July or August, rather than June,” said Samantha Burgess, Strategic Lead for Climate at the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.